With Rugby Sevens now an Olympic sport there is a push to identify future players.  One player in year 9, Lily Bennett has been invited to a Talented Player Development Camp at the end of year.  Hopefully as the younger girls reach qualifying age we may see some of them also getting a chance to shine.

The Narooma year 7/8 team has developed into a strong squad and has had some successes during this period.  They train regularly, usually twice a week and sometimes after school.  This commitment has paid off as their skill sets and understanding of the game has developed.

In the qualifying round in Bega, the “Eagle Chicks” drew with Lumen Christie, defeated Bega HS and lost narrowly to a year 8/9 SCAC team. This qualified them to play in Canberra. On the day only eight players could make the trip up the Clyde but they were determined to play well and have a good time. 

The Canberra 7s saw Narooma drawn against Yanco Agricultural College, a nursery for CHS rugby over the years.  Things did not start well as the team struggled to lift to the higher standard needed to compete at this level. Yanco ran in two early tries as the Eagle Chicks struggled to adjust their play.  Getting used to the speed of the game the girls came back into the game with a try just before half time.  After a half time pep talk Narooma took the game to Yanco and scored halfway through the second stanza.  With only a couple of minutes on the clock they went for the win but Yanco ran on five fresh players to stabilise their defence and hold out for a draw.

The next game saw Narooma defeat Wagga HS in tight game to make them joint leaders of the pool with Yanco but they came second on for and against consequently the harder semi-final.  They took on St Clare’s who gained an early lead.  Narooma seems to need to time to get into their stride and it was only after St Clare scored a second that the Eagle Chicks began to wake up.  Redoubling their efforts they managed to score a try but St Clare scored a breakaway try to bring the lead back to two scores.  Narooma heads stayed up and they pushed hard to score again.

With the clock ticking they pushed for the equaliser but with fresh legs off the bench to defend, St Clare held Narooma out and scored a breakout try on the bell to end Narooma’s day. It was fine effort showing a never say die attitude.

During the week leading up the 10s tournament Narooma went down to Bega for a Girls Rugby Development day run by Brumbies Rugby.  New skills and drills were introduced to the girls and a trial game against Bega/Eden combined followed.  Narooma were winning two tries to one when the game was stopped owing to an injury to a player.  With a tournament coming up the coaches did not want anybody missing out.

The Tens tournament saw Narooma drawn in a pool with Wagga HS, Lynham HS and John Paul College.  Narooma wore their new playing strip, paid for with the support of Club Narooma, the Narooma Meat Centre and Jenny Wray as well as money supplied by the girls themselves.  The girls looked and played like a top of the line school side.  The jerseys are tailored for girls and help engender a sense of pride.

The tournament itself saw the best and worst of the Eagle Chicks.  Against Wagga in the first game they were again slow to come out of the blocks and gave them a two try start early in the first half.  With guidance the girls got their structures in place and took the game back to Wagga.  They had several chances to score before Megan finally closed the gap in the second half.  Despite having most of the game Narooma could not cross the line and went down two tries to one.

The games against Lynham and John Paul saw the Eagle Chicks play some razzle dazzle football.  Having adjusted to the ten player game they ran the ball from all over the field and there were some spectacular offloads and strong support play. They won both games by five tries.  The tries were shared around with Yoey, Libby and Sammy getting one each and Chenoa, Crystal and Megan getting two. Two tries in particular stood out. Yoeys interchange with Zoe down the right wing against Lynham and Chenoa and Crystal supporting each other up the middle against John Paul.

With two bonus points Narooma had made the semi-finals but owing to running short of time the Brumbies decided on a one versus two final, with three versus four for third place play off.  Bega played Wagga in the last pool game.  If they could win or draw Narooma would play St Clare in the final.  A tense game ensued with Bega leading with a minute to go.  Wagga managed to get level but needed to win.  They kicked the ball long and chased.  Bega fielded the ball but the receiver tripped over another Bega player and dropped the ball.  Bega retrieved but a loose pass saw Wagga seize the ball and run in for a try and Narooma was out of the final.

The play off against Bega was a palpable let down.  The team was going through the motions and allowed Bega three tries in the first half.  A talk about pride and commitment saw Narooma come out firing on all four in the second half.  Fine tries by Ruby and Chelsea closed the gap but the bar had been set too high and Narooma could not close the gap.  Bega were happy to get their first win over Narooma this season and a lesson about being prepared to play well right from the start was learned.

The girls were transported by their parents and with the help of the Katungal Aboriginal Corporation bus.  The school would like to thank the community for all of their support in a successful season.  We now get ready for next season with training and trial games continuing on till the end of the year.