Todd Park, in the South of Sydney, hosted the inaugural Sydney Catholic Schools Girls Rugby League Gala Day at the end of Term 3.
Poor weather in the previous term forced the organisers to postpone the event and as a result it only involved a handful of schools.
However, the girls who had the opportunity to play definitely left wanting more rugby league opportunities.
The day involved modified games with the biggest modification being that there were only nine players on the field.
The games were also shortened in time and there were no scrums or conversions.
The final was played between Marist College Penshurst and All Saints Liverpool.
All Saints had proven too strong for the Penshurst girls in the earlier round game winning 20-10, but the Marist Penshurst girls won the match that counted with a comprehensive 38-14 victory in the final to take the gold medal and be declared champions in the very first SCS Girls Rugby League Gala Day.
In the Bronze medal playoff Marist Sisters Woolwich were too good for St Pat’s Sutherland with a 44-4 victory for third place.
The Penshurst side was made up of some very talented athletes who excel in sports such as touch football and Oztag, but had never actually played rugby league in a competition before.
The team was coached by Louise Winchester. Louise comes from a rugby league family.
She is the daughter of Peter Winchester, a member of the 1974 Canterbury Grand Final team.
An elite sportsperson in her own right, Louise captained Australia at numerous World Cups in Touch football. Louise commented that she would have loved the opportunity to play rugby league while at school.
“Attending St Ursula’s, Kingsgrove, I loved all sports but rugby league was not an option for girls so touch football became my passion,” she said.
Louise described the gala day as a highlight of her coaching career.
“It was so awesome watching their uncertainty and hesitancy turn to excitement, energy and delight. The look on their faces after each game, especially after winning the championship, was truly priceless,” she said. Louise loves that young females now have the opportunity to play the game her dad did.
“I absolutely love that young girls now are getting these opportunities to show what they can do and what they are made of.”
One student who cherished the opportunity to play rugby league was Frankie Hurley.
The granddaughter of Peter Winchester is better known for her exploits on the AFL or touch football fields.
She was in everything, scoring tries, making balls, and all tackles, and was a standout in Penshurst’s demolition of Liverpool in the final.
Another key member of Penshurst’s success, Jada Christie, who after collecting her gold medal, exclaimed, “I had an awesome day playing in the SCS Rugby Gala Day. Our team showed incredible spirit, supporting each other with hard-hitting tackles, scoring amazing tries, and standing strong through some tough hits.”
Both the NRL and Sydney Catholic Schools are excited to see female participation continue to grow within Sydney Catholic Schools and hopefully the number of schools will increase for the 2026 gala day.
Looking to the future, a weekly competition might only be a few years away.
There is every chance a future star was playing in SCS’s first female rugby league event.