Australian Schoolgirls rep, Illawarra Steelers star Evie McGrath hunting Tarsha Gale Cup glory
Going from high to high in 2023, Evie McGrath was taking out premierships and receiving Australian Schoolgirls call-ups. This season she’s hungry for more, eyeing a Tarsha Gale title with the Illawarra Steelers.
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While it’s her first dose of Tarsha Gale Cup footy in 2024, rising Illawarra Steelers gun Evie McGrath enters the fray on the back of a 2023 to remember.
The 17-year-old five-eighth went from the strength to strength last season, building up the resume with impressive accolades and representative honours
And after getting off to a winning start with a commanding 30-12 victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs in round one, McGrath is keen to keep this upward trajectory going in 2024.
“Winning the comp is the goal for the team, that’s what we’re all working so hard towards,” McGrath said.
“For myself, doing my part and being one of the main reasons why we win is the goal every week.
“A positive from that game is that we’re definitely a team, which is what we want. When we look good, we look good. There were some bad areas where we weren’t completing sets, which could cost us in those closer games. Overall a good start though.”
McGrath is the kind of player you want in your halves. A strong passer of the footy, a good reader of the play and director of traffic, with an added element of x-factor with her deceptively fast foot speed.
McGrath kicked off her rugby league journey four years ago with the Stingrays of Shellharbour, having played league tag prior to that.
She remains with the Stingrays up until today, where in 2023 her side took out the Southern Corridor U18s premiership, with McGrath a try scorer in the grand final.
Prior to that, she was a part of the destructive inaugural Illawarra Steelers Lisa Fiaola Cup side that went undefeated in the shortened 2023 competition.
Making the transition to Tarsha Gale this season, McGrath has acclimated to the demands of the new league well after a challenging pre-season.
“The change in intensity of training is 100% like nothing I’ve ever experienced, the pre-season was definitely really tough,” McGrath said.
“I knew it was going to be harder, so I was prepared in that sense. A lot of the Lisa Fiaola girls came up with me as well, so it’s not an unfamiliar team to play with.”
No doubt one of the biggest contributors to McGrath’s confidence on the park was her Australian Schoolgirls call-up in 2023, a terrific achievement for the young star.
“Schoolgirls was such a surreal experience, I’m very grateful for it,” McGrath said.
“I learned a lot from the coaches and the girls I was on the team with.
Making the experience even more special for McGrath was to be in the team alongside her Stingrays teammates Indie Bostock, Caley Tallon-Henniker, and her partner in crime in the halves Kasey Reh.
“She’s (Kasey) been a part of my journey from the start. I love playing with her, she’s a great leader and a great teammate to have,” McGrath said.
“She has great vision and great ball skills, awesome in defence as well.
“I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else as my half, I feel really safe with her there.”
McGrath will be looking to celebrate her birthday weekend with a win, as she and her Steelers team face Canberra on the road as they look to make it two wins from two.
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