Full line-up: Warwick U15 rugby seven first in division ahead of grand final clash
Just over a month ago, the majority of the U15 Assumption College girls team hadn’t picked up a rugby ball. Now, they’re heading into their first grand final. See the full line-up.
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At the beginning of October almost all the players of Assumption College had never played rugby.
Despite being newcomers to the sport, the players have proved themselves on the field and are now preparing to battle it out in a grand finals clash.
The girls formed the school team to compete in the South West Sevens competitions, which saw them playing against teams with plenty of experience.
Currently sitting first on the leaderboard, with five wins and only two losses, the Assumption girls are heading into their first grand final against powerhouse side St Saviours.
Assumption College sport co-ordinator and rugby co-coach Tom Duggan says the girls’ inspiring journey to the grand final has caused the sport to grow in popularity at the school, with boys keen to join in the action next year.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from the girls is overwhelmingly positive, they’ve all said they can’t wait to do it again next year and are really keen,” Duggan said.
“We’ve only had two field training sessions so far due to being rained out, and we only had one training session before our first round.
“That fact alone the girls have shocked us a bit with how good they’ve gone.
“We’re playing St Saviour’s (Thursday night), who we’ve beaten once before and lost to before, so it’s anyone’s game.”
Read the coaches breakdown of Warwick’s Assumption College side ahead of the grand final:
Abby Hammond – Captain
Age- 15
Position- hooker
Duggan said Hammond had a bit of rugby experience before the competition and is the one a lot of the girls look on for guidance. She’s one of the most consistent players with incredible defence and unbreakable in the ruck.
Morgan O’Leary
Age- 15
Position- fullback
O’Leary is a speedster try-scoring machine, racking up a fair amount of tries over the season. If you can get the ball out wide to Morgan, she tends to score.
Ava McLucas
Age- 15
Position- prop forward
An incredible stable forward, McLucas is a workhorse in the middle and completes plenty of tackles.
Rachel Brassel
Age- 15
Position- fly half
When Brassel is on the field, she tends to run the show, she's very solid at taking the line on and creating chances and setting tries up.
Lily Bennet
Age- 15
Position- fly half
An impressive member of the squad, Lily Bennet is quick on the field and has a strong ability to play eyes-up footy and is knowledgeable of setting up opportunities and thinking on her feet.
Katelyn Fischer
Age- 15
Position- centre
A reliable centre and unafraid to be tough and put her hand up for a run. Fischer throws her body around and lacks self-preservation which makes her a fun player to watch.
Caitlyn Rhodes
Age- 14
Position- forward
Rhodes plays well in the middle of the field and extremely talented defensively. A great runner up the field.
Suzie Spiller
Age- 14
Position-fullback / fly half
Spiller is the youngest player on the squad but extremely impressive. An incredible stepper, Suzie can break tackles like the best of them.
Lauren Trotman
Age- 14
Position- fullback/ centre
Lauren Trotman is a quick player that plays well wide, very reliable. Trotman is great at setting up plays and scoring tries.
Ember Barnsdale
Age- 15
Position- prop forward
Barnsdale is the ‘wrecking ball’ of the team, once the ball is her hands, she carves up the opposing side.
Isabelle Beer
Age- 15
Position- centre forward
Isabelle is a strong utility player that is versatile and can get the job done. A strong defensive player, there isn’t many tackles that she would miss.
All the action kicks off 5:40pm Thursday at Highfields Sport and Recreation Park, Highfields.
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