Dragons schoolgirl Teagan Berry one of fastest in NRL or NRLW
She is one of the youngest athletes in NRLW but Teagan Berry will also be one of the fastest in the game - including the NRL - when she is unleashed for the Dragons on Saturday. WATCH HER FLY.
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As a sprinter Teagan Berry is used to life in the fast lane. But the schoolgirl never imagined she would be fast tracked into the NRLW and a debut while studying for her HSC.
And while Berry runs like the wind, it’s rugby league which grounds her.
The 18-year-old schoolgirl and supermarket check-out-chick said from the moment she started playing the sport, she was in love.
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Now the Port Macquarie born-and-bred youngster, who lives with her family at Shellharbour south of Sydney, is gearing up for her debut in women’s NRL where she will unleash a sprint so explosive she’d leave most NRL players in her wake.
“Two years ago I started playing rugby league with the Shellharbour Stingrays. I loved it from the start,’’ said the teenager, a social media hit thanks to an extraordinary try showcasing her explosive speed in the under 18s State of Origin game last year.
“I started playing league tag and then moved into it.
“I love the team environment and just the footy, it’s so good. I like getting aggressive and I like the physicality.”
How quick is Teagan Berry ðŸƒâ€â™€ï¸
— Women's Rugby League (@WRugbyLeague) June 24, 2019
And didn't the @NSWRL Women's team enjoy that one ðŸ‘#Origin #OurWay pic.twitter.com/RHb92mRhc9
That said, Berry, one of the smaller players at the Dragons at just 174cm and 70kg, is working separately on her speed in a bid to avoid being taken down by heftier rivals.
“The idea is to go so fast no one can tackle me,” she said.
“I don’t mind being tackled. But it’s always better to stay away, especially if it’s one of the big chicks chasing me.”
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A string of injuries to key players means Berry’s debut in women’s rugby league has sped up with the 18-year-old likely to take the field on Saturday against the Warriors.
“It would be so good to make my debut,” she said.
“I wasn’t even expecting to be in the squad. It would be so good.”
Berry, who finished second in the 100m at last year’s All Schools championships in a lightning fast time of 11.92, still works with a sprint coach to keep her speed up
“Last year I actually made it to the Australian All Schools and finished second in the 100m which was really surprising,’’ she said.
“I have a sprint coach who didn’t want me to go to NRL but I love rugby league more. I just love it. I still go to training to keep my speed up for rugby league though.
“I work at Coles as a checkout chick as well. I’m pretty busy. I didn’t like being bored.
“I just got a scholarship into nursing at the University of Wollongong as well. I’m so excited. I’d like to be a paramedic eventually.”
An Illawarra Steelers’ Tarsha Gale representative over the past two seasons, Berry is likely to get match time in the wake of a shocking string of injuries to key Dragons players.
Big names including Kezie Appa, Isabelle Kelly, Jess Sergis and Maddie Struddon are among the walking wounded ahead of this weekend’s match.