Paige Horvat: Herbert River co-captain drives women’s rugby league in North Queensland
When lawyer Paige Horvat is not tackling cases she is tackling opponents as a pioneer of senior rugby league for women in North Queensland.
Townsville
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When lawyer Paige Horvat is not tackling cases she is tackling opponents as a pioneer of senior rugby league for women in North Queensland.
Born in Moranbah and educated at James Cook University, Ms Horvat, 26, first practised law for a highly regarded Townsville legal firm for five years before transferring to Ingham with partner Jack Dixon – a popular Gilroy Santa Maria College high-school teacher – four years ago.
“When I finished my degree, Jack finished at the same time and we both got offered jobs in Ingham and it was such a good opportunity we both said ‘yes’.”
Ms Horvat started playing the game she adores at the age of 15 for her school before making the grade for the Moranbah team in the Mackay and District Rugby League competition aged just 17.
“When I moved to Townsville, they didn’t have local league (for women) so I played college rugby sevens for two years and then in 2019, when TDRL (Townsville District Rugby League) established the women’s comp, I played for Western Lions.”
She said news travelled quickly along the bush telegraph that she was moving to Ingham and was contacted by businesswoman and local league legend Sarah Castles, who never misses a trick.
“Sarah actually reached out and messaged me and said, ‘we heard you’re moving to town and if you’d like to come and join the Crushers we’d love to have you’ so I came along and joined.”
Ms Horvat, co-captain of the Crushers team, said she had been welcomed into the club, where she had multiple friends and community connections before taking up a position on the club committee.
Now in her fourth year as a player, she said the Crushers had joined forces with the Burdekin Roosters to keep the woman’s game alive in rural North Queensland.
“We wanted to keep the game going, there were a lot of girls that were eager to play and it would have been disappointing not to have a team so Burdekin was in the same position so they gave us a call.”
Despite the obstacles, including distance to travel to train together to form combinations, the combined team have a two win-two loss record, losing narrowly against big guns Centrals and Lions.
“It’s very obvious when we are out there that we are new to each other but on the positive side we are only going to get better.”
Ms Horvat is in her second year as club secretary on a committee that includes fellow females Ms Castles as vice president and long-serving committee member Desley Consenza who recently lost husband and fellow league stalwart and sponsor Angelo.
“Everyone just helps each other out, my obvious role is there with the minutes and correspondence to the board, but in terms of what I do … there is working the canteen, working the gate, help setting up for game days, helping out with Show weekends, it doesn’t stop.”
Ms Horvat said she had never experienced any issues in what is traditionally a male-dominated sporting environment, first under legendary former President Joe Pennisi and now under new President Matthew Chiesa.
She said Mr Pennisi, who was coaching the women’s side, was extremely welcoming, which had continued with Mr Chiesa in his first year as the club battled back from the devastating February flooding.
“We were corresponding with Brothers and the Cowboys and we were able to secure the donations from them, with the Cowboys I was corresponding with a lot in terms of that donation, what we needed to do on our side for that to happen.”
Brothers Rugby League Football Club Townsville donated $10,000 while Clubs Queensland, including Cowboys Leagues Club, donated $75,000.
Ms Horvat joked that there were no household squabbles over what sport to watch on television given partner Jack’s role as a star player of the Ingham Cutters Rugby Union Club.
“Jack plays it but he doesn’t watch it so it’s not much of a conversation … it’s always league on the TV.”
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Originally published as Paige Horvat: Herbert River co-captain drives women’s rugby league in North Queensland
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