Sportswomen of South West Qld making region proud
Whether it’s on the field or in the water, South West Queensland is is home to an abundance of female sporting talent making their mark. See the list here.
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From the field to the water South West Queensland has continued to produce a number of star athletes.
Some of the region’s top female performers have seen their talents play out on national and international stages.
Among those well-known faces are many young sportswomen who are quickly making their mark.
See the list of sportswomen making their country towns proud below.
BETHANY MOORE-KIRKLAND & ELLIZA MOORE-KIRKLAND
The Warwick sisters have continued to prove their skills in their respective sports, recently competing at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.
Their coach Tom Bradbury was ever impressed with the girls’ efforts at the event and their continued growth.
Bethany was sixth in the 3000m walk and Elliza finished 10th in the 400m hurdles.
MAEVE MOORE
Allora young gun Maeve Moore already has an impressive number of wins under her belt at just the age of 12.
Maeve competed as part of the School Sport Australia Swimming championships in Southport earlier this year, taking out second place in the girls aged 12 category 200 LC metre freestyle relay.
HARRIET HUDSON
Warwick’s Olympic rowing champion Harriet Hudson first had her dreams come true in 2021 when she competed at the Tokyo Olympics.
Harriet also represented her country at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside a number of other southwest sports stars.
DENIKA MURRAY
Beating out Laura Geitz’ long jump record at the Border Athletics Carnival in 2019, Denika has continued to prove her talents.
Denika’s sporting talents also extend to triple jump, javelin and rugby league, named alongside her sister Kiah as among the top players at the 2024 Toowoomba Warriors Reconciliation Carnival.
ZARA KRUGER
The 18-year-old has been welcomed back to Brisbane Roar for the 2024/25 Liberty A-League season, after a stint playing for Sydney FC.
Zara told Warwick Daily News in 2023 she first played football in Warwick with the under-7 team, and is always trying to improve at the beautiful game.
“It’s a great environment to play in, I like the intensity and there’s a lot more training, but it’s been something I’ve been working towards since I was young,” she said.
AMY LORENZ
The Roma teenager was one of three southwest Queensland rugby stars to be named in the inaugural Australian Schoolgirls Rugby 7s touring team.
The touring team played in New Zealand from December 13-15, with Lorenz set to follow in the footsteps of fellow Roma girl and Rugby 7’s Olympic gold medallist Emilee Cherry.
LUCY BOURKE
Warwick’s cricket star Lucy Bourke has featured in the Brisbane Heat’s T20 Spring Challenge and is also part of the Queensland Fire squad.
Bourke’s talent has only taken her from strength to strength, making her a prime shoe-in for the 2032 Olympics.
MORGAN O’LEARY
The 17-year-old impressed at the Queensland Senior State Championships in 2023 where she took home new PBs.
CHARLOTTE CASLICK
Rugby gun Charlotte Caslick competed in her third Olympics in 2024 and is highly regarded for her speed and talents on the field.
Caslick owns a cattle property at Stanthorpe and although is Brisbane-born, has been embraced with open arms by the Southern Downs region.
MADELINE GLEESON, ANNABEL GLEESON, ANITA SHEPHERD & MELISSA KERR
Warwick trio Madeline Gleeson, Annabel Gleeson and Anita Shepherd alongside Stanthorpe’s Melissa Kerr represented the state at the Australian Polocrosse Nationals in Chinchilla back in June.
The Southern Downs has widely adopted the sport with three active clubs in Warwick, Killarney and Cunningham.
Warwick Polocrosse president Les Fraser said the sport is only growing in the bush.
“The sport has never been bigger in Warwick, we’ve got three active clubs – at Warwick, Killarney and Cunningham – that could field seven or eight teams each, enough for its own league,” Fraser said.
“The sport is going strong and is evolving, we’ve got more ladies and juniors playing than ever before, and many generational players that are passing the sport down.”
If you think there’s a young sportswoman who should be on this list, email their name and sporting achievements to warwick@news.com.au.
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