Celebrate International Women‘s Day with 23 Central Queensland women of sport
From history-making administrators to stars on the world stage, Central Queensland has a wealth of female sporting talent. See who made our International Women’s Day special list.
Rockhampton
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In the countdown to International Women’s Day, we turn the spotlight on the best females in Central Queensland sport.
Be they competitors, administrators or volunteers, their contribution to their respective codes has been invaluable.
Jenny Hilcher
It’s all about community for Jenny Hilcher, who serves at the merchandise tent at the CQ Capras’ home games.
“I just love being part of the community just feel that the more we get involved in our community the better it is for our community,” she says of her volunteer role of the past decade.
“It’s just lovely meeting people whose son or daughter plays with the Capras or they’ve come to see a relative or they’re new people in town and can promote the area and tell them about it and our teams.”
One of her fondest memories with the club is scoring the playing jersey of Cameron Munster in an auction before he left Rockhampton to join the Melbourne Storm.
“It’s great being part of the Capras family and community is what it’s all about.”
Shannon Littleboy
Shannon Littleboy has carved her own piece of sporting history.
She was the first woman elected president at Rockhampton’s largest junior rugby league club, Rockhampton Brothers, back in 2021.
She still holds the post and is also now the head trainer of the CQ Capras under-19 women.
It’s her family’s association with the game that got her involved - and she could not be more excited about it.
A mother-of-four, she works full-time as the Indigenous development officer at The Cathedral College
She juggles her work and family life to help progress the sporting clubs in which she’s involved and loves nothing more than to see young players kicking goals in the game.
Jess Jonassen
There is little Jess has not achieved in her decorated domestic and international career and she has added another impressive entry to her resume with a leading role in Australia’s T20 World Cup final win in South Africa.
A left-arm orthodox bowling all-rounder, the 30-year-old player has been a mainstay of the Australian women’s team since 2012.
In her first three months of international cricket, she took five one-day wickets and four T20 wickets. She then starred with the bat in her Test debut in the 2015 Women’s Ashes, scoring 99 and 54 to be named Player of the Match.
Jess went on to win back-to-back WBBL titles with the Brisbane Heat and been a vital part of Australia’s four ICC T20 World Cup wins.
She is also just the fourth woman to take 100 ODI wickets for Australia, and won gold at 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
She is the current captain of the Brisbane Heat and the Queensland Fire in the Women’s National Cricket League.
Tamika Upton
An Australian touch representative, Upton made the transition to rugby league in 2019 after having played the game as a junior.
Just weeks into her first season with Yeppoon in the Rockhampton Rugby League senior women’s competition, she was recruited by the Brisbane Broncos.
The champion playmaker went on to win two NRLW premierships with Brisbane before moving to the Newcastle Knights for the 2022 season, where she would claim title number three.
She was awarded the Karyn Murphy Medal for Player of the Match in the Knights’ grand final win in which she became the competition’s all-time leading try-scorer.
Tamika is recognised as one of the best fullbacks in the game, and has twice represented Queensland in the State of Origin arena. She was selected in the Australian team for last year’s World Cup but withdrew due to injury.
Amanda Ohl
Ohl has been instrumental in the development of female rugby league in Central Queensland, on and off the field.
A talented player, she has channelled her experience and knowledge into coaching, where she enjoyed success with teams such as the Rockhampton Rustlers women, who won consecutive 47th Battalion titles.
She was appointed head coach of the CQ Capras women in 2020 for the inaugural season of the QRL’s statewide competition only for it to be cut short by COVID.
Amanda remained at the helm, taking the team from second last in 2021 to runners-up in 2022, an achievement that earned her the QRL BMD Premiership Coach of the Year.
One of the most outstanding measures of her success is her ability to bring players from across the Central Division, which covers a huge footprint, and mould them into a cohesive playing unit.
She is also an experienced administrator who for a decade has worked as an operations manager with the QRL.
Ella Calleja
The 18-year-old has taken the next step in her burgeoning Aussie rules career, signing with the Southport Sharks who play in the QAFLW.
A natural talent, Ella has all the skills of a fantastic forward. She reads the game well, has speed to burn, can kick off both feet and possesses a great vertical leap.
Part of the Gold Coast Suns Academy, she represented Queensland at the NAB AFLW under-18 national championships and was a member of the North Queensland women’s team last year.
A member of the Yeppoon Swanettes, she was named Player of the Final after the team claimed its maiden premiership in 2022 in the AFL Capricornia senior women’s comp.
She was also named the competition’s Best and Fairest in 2021 and 2022.
Kim Applewaite
She’s the bubbly personality who sells you a hot pie or a cold beer with a warm smile and some lively conversation.
Kim has been the canteen convenor for Rockhampton Cricket since 2018, devoting countless hours to the role.
It’s a labour of love for the mother of two, who got involved in cricket as a scorer when her eldest son Travis started playing for Frenchville at age 10.
“I would always score for the Frenchville junior teams and any time Travis played rep for Rockhampton or Central Queensland we would take him where he had to go and would score there as well,” she said.
Kim said people put her name forward for the convenor’s job, knowing that her penchant for hard work and her excellent organisational skills would make her an ideal candidate.
Her job involves ordering food and beverages, restocking the fridges, making fresh sandwiches, salad bowls and fruit bowls and also ensuring the facilities are spick and span.
Alenna Whipp
Eighteen-year-old Alenna is proving to be a dual code sensation, scoring state honours in both league and union.
The crafty playmaker plays her club league with Rockhampton Brothers and is a pivotal member of the CQ Capras under-19 women’s team.
In 2021, she made the Queensland Country under-17s and last year, represented the Queensland Sapphires at the under-19 nationals in Brisbane.
Alenna has established herself as a rising star in union as well.
She starred in Frenchville’s premiership win in the 2022 Rugby Capricornia women’s 7s competition, named Player of the Final. She was the first female to receive Frenchville’s Player of the Year award.
She was selected for the CQ Bushrangers, and was one of the youngest players to represent the Queensland Country Orchids.
Sienna Harmsworth
The latest member of the Harmsworth family making a mark in hockey, young Sienna had an exceptional 2022.
She captained the Capricornia primary schoolgirls team which finished second at the state championships, and was one of only two 11-year-olds then selected in the Queensland under-12 team which won gold at the nationals.
She was Player in the Final in Rockhampton’s win at the North Queensland under-11 carnival.
Sienna, who plays with Wanderers in the Rockhampton Hockey Association competition, was Player of the Final and Player of the Year in the under-12 division, and an integral member of the club’s under-15 premiership-winning team.
She rounded the year out by being named a shadow for the Queensland under-13 indoor hockey team after starring for the Rockhampton team that finished third at the state championships.
Sally Vagg
A star performer from the Rocky City Swimming Club, Sally is a multi-state and national medallist who swam at the 2021 Olympic trials.
A highlight for the 16-year-old came in 2022 when she represented the Australian Junior Dolphins at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Hawaii.
There she gained invaluable experience competing in three races in her pet stroke, the butterfly.
She is a consistent performer and her greatest strengths are her ability to hold technique and finish races strongly.
She is gearing up for another big year, with one of her main goals to make the Australian team for the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Lillian Yarrow
The hard-running front rower has the rugby league scene buzzing and is touted as a genuine NRLW prospect.
Lillian was an integral member of the victorious Queensland Country under-17 team in 2021 and made the Queensland Sapphires under-19 squad last year.
After starring for Emmaus College, she was named the inaugural winner of the Reg Cannon Award for the Female Player of the Carnival at the 2022 Confraternity Carnival.
She was in the Queensland team that played in the first-ever Australian schoolgirls clash, which was the curtain-raiser to the 2022 women’s Stage of Origin at Suncorp Stadium.
She claimed another piece of footy history when selected in the Australian schoolgirls team - the first to travel and to play in an international fixture. The Aussies scored a convincing 48-nil win against Fiji.
Isabelle Shearer
It was clear the Rockhampton netball was destined for big things as soon as she set foot on a court with Frenchville as a seven-year-old alongside her twin sister Katelyn.
She started playing Senior A netball at age 14 and representative honours quickly followed. Isabelle became a mainstay in Queensland underage teams and in 2019, she was selected in Netball Australia’s under-17 squad and Tall Athlete National Squad, travelling to the AIS in Canberra for training camps.
The Cathedral College graduate moved to Brisbane in late 2020, where she has continued to flourish.
In that year, she made the Queensland and national under-17 squads and in 2021 earned the same honours in the under-19 division. In 2022, she played for Queensland at the national under-19 championships and represented the Queensland Sapphires at the Australian championships.
She was also identified by Netball Australia under the AIS framework as Emerging Athlete, and included in the North Queensland Emerging Athlete Program designed to support high-performance development.
She has just been signed as a training partner with the Queensland Firebirds for 2023.
Taryn Roberts
A hunger to learn and a penchant for hard work are two of the key ingredients that have helped propel the Rocky City swimmer to incredible success in the pool and open water.
Taryn, 16, goes into every meet with a demanding schedule - and delivers every time, bringing home countless medals and awards at every level of competition.
At just 14, she swam at the Olympic trials in 2021 and late last year produced very respectable results in her first international competition, representing Queensland at the Japan Invitational and the Japan Open in Tokyo.
She then lined up at the states in Brisbane in December, clocking some of her fastest times in 18 months, a positive sign as she sets her sights on selection for the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Charlie Sterling
The teenage tennis star continues to serve up success and had a year to remember in 2022, which culminated in her being crowned the Central Region Player of the Year.
She won the Queensland Junior Development Series’ 15 years girls title, as well as registering three tier one wins at tournaments in Gladstone, Rockhampton and Mackay.
Charlie won the Emerald Open Ladies singles and represented Central Region at the Queensland Teams Event in Brisbane.
She has a well-rounded game complimented by incredible speed around the court.
She is tenacious and has a great work ethic, traits which will hold her in good stead as she looks to improve her UTR rating by playing more state and national tournaments.
Sophie Driscoll
The talented guard’s talent is catching attention on the local scene and beyond.
Sophie led the Rockhampton Cyclones under-18s to the Central Queensland Junior Basketball Competition title in 2022.
She represented Queensland North at the national championships as a bottom age player, holding her own against more experienced and more senior players.
A member of the Rockhampton Cyclones NBL1 squad, she is set to get more minutes on court this season as she continues her rise through the ranks.
Leanne Caban
The 54-year-old rider from Emerald has one of the most decorated - and enduring - careers on the rodeo circuit.
Her most recent success came at the Australian Professional Rodeo Association National Finals in November last year.
There she won the barrel racing title, something she’s desired since she first started in the sport more than 30 years ago. She also took home the All Around cowgirl buckle.
Leanne grew up around horses, and started doing pony club and campdrafting, as well as track work for her father who had a number of race horses.
She was introduced to rodeo at 18 and never looked back, amassing an impressive array of titles, many of them at the prestigious Mt Isa Rodeo.
Mariah Storch
The proud Central Highlands product has forged an incredible career since starting league at age 17 in Blackwater.
The tireless second rower twice represented Queensland Country and won back-to-back NRLW premierships with the Brisbane Broncos in 2018 and 2019.
When Covid put football on hold, Mariah turned her attention to motherhood, welcoming daughter Henley in February 2021.
She returned to competitive sport just eight weeks later, teaming up with the CQ Capras in the BMD Premiership.
Mariah’s big-game experience, passion and leadership were a boon for the team, who she captained to the grand final in 2022.
She was awarded for a standout season, named the QRL BMD Premiership Player of the Year and also included in the competition’s Team of the Year.
Lisa Morgan
Having enjoyed success as a player, Lisa is now strengthening her position as one of the game’s leading coaches.
She was named Hockey Queensland’s 2022 High Performance Coach of the Year after taking the Queensland under-18 girls and the Queensland Masters over-34 women to national titles.
Lisa made the transition to coaching at age 30 after a decorated playing career in which she was a member of the Australian under-21 outdoor squad and represented Australia at the first indoor World Cup in 2003.
In 2017, she won Hockey Queensland’s Coach of the Year for both indoor and outdoor.
Tracy Upton
From developing junior players to playing at an elite level, touch football is in Tracy Upton’s blood.
In her role as general manager of development at Central Queensland Bulls touch football, she oversees hundreds, if not thousands, of players across the broader region.
CQ Bulls send representative players from both junior and senior teams to national and state events and services nine affiliates in the Central Region stretching from Longreach to the Capricorn Coast.
Tracy, who has represented the region many times herself in touch, focuses on the development of players through local clinics and is a respected representative team coach.
She is also assistant coach of the CQ Capras’ women’s rugby league team, which plays in the statewide BMD Premiership.
Kerry Smyth
Rockhampton’s Kerry Smyth has been involved in trampolining for more than 40 years.
She was a competitor for three years in her late teens before making the transition to coaching.
She has been a competition convener since 1985 and coached at every level, holding the position of state and national head coach.
Kerry was head coach at Victoria Park Gymnastic and Trampoline Club in Rockhampton for 35 years before launching her own venture, Extreme Trampoline CQ, in Yeppoon in 2020.
In the same year, she received the Trampoline Special Recognition Award from Gymnastics Australia in 2020.
She said at the time that while it was nice to be acknowledged, it was her athletes who gave her the greatest pleasure.
Among her greatest success stories were Patrick Cooper, who represented Australia at the first Youth Olympics, and Jarrod Smyth, who won five straight world championships.
Belinda Sharpe
The now 35 year old has blazed an incredible trail since officiating her first junior fixture at Gracemere as a teenager.
She made history in July 2019, becoming the first female referee to control an NRL game.
Belinda has also refereed women’s State of Origins, NRLW grand finals and countless Q-Cup games.
Her greatest and most recent achievement came in her second appearance at the Rugby League World Cup in England in November.
After controlling and running the line in both men’s and women’s games at the international tournament, she was awarded the women’s grand final between Australia and New Zealand at the iconic stadium, Old Trafford.
Georgia Muir
The highly skilled right winger was the 2022 Football Queensland Premier League Central Coast Women’s Player of the Year.
She scored 31 goals for Clinton, the second highest in the competition.
She returned to Gladstone after finishing university in Brisbane, where she gained invaluable experience playing with clubs such as Mitchelton in the Queensland Premier League.
Georgia has fantastic dribbling skills and, as is reflected in her goals tally, her finishing is excellent off both feet.
As quick as lightning, she reads the play well and gets herself into the right place at the right time. She knows when to inject herself and when to drop back and lend support to her teammates.
Jodie Shanks
The Caribeae Swimming Club coach has been one of the most influential coaches in the Central Queensland region.
She has coached numerous young stars to success, as well as being a strong advocate for the importance of swimming lessons for people of all ages.
Jodie has been in the industry for 40 years and is highly regarded and respected by all involved in the sport.
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