FAMILY AFFAIR: Nick, Sharon and Riley Law are all involved with Orange CYMS but round 16 of the NRL takes time out to honour the work women do in rugby league with the women in league round. Photo: NICK McGRATH
WHERE would any of us be without our mums?
From Saturday morning taxi service to canteen lady, cheer squad and committee member - there’s not a lot Sharon Law hasn’t done to help her boys through 15 years of rugby league in the proud green and gold of Orange CYMS.
The NRL this weekend celebrates the contribution women make in rugby league across the country.
There are currently more than 52,000 female volunteers working in rugby league.
Law is just one of five women on the CYMS’ 2012 committee.
Law, Fluer Vardanege, Michelle Farrell, Brie Gleeson, Kim Bassmann and Jo Penny all take on important roles which help in the running of the club, which last year made the grand final in all three senior grades and has won back-to-back premier league crowns.
But Law’s association with the sport began much earlier.
Sharon’s sons Nick, 24, Jarryd, 22, and Riley, 20, all began playing in the junior grades with CYMS, with Nick the first when he was just nine, 15 years ago.
“I love it,” Sharon said.
“I used to sit in the stand and just cheer quietly for my boys and then go home but I get right into it now. It’s good. It’s a great club.”
Nick, who still plays with CYMS, said without his mum he probably wouldn’t have started playing at all.
“Obviously when we needed a lift to footy, if mum wasn’t taking us to footy we would never really have gotten to play,” Nick said.
He said all of the women involved at CYMS helped take the club to the position it is in today.
“If we didn’t have the women behind the scenes, it’s not just as simple as the canteen, there’s so many things people don’t realise that someone’s got to do. Setting up, organising refs, canteen, all of that sort of stuff has to be done and most of the people to do it are women,” Nick said.
Sharon added: “A lot of people don’t realise what goes on behind the scenes and there are a lot of people, men and women, at the club who help out.”
“It’s a good friendly club.”
