THE Orange Tigers’ dominance over the rest of the Central West AFL region currently spans from the top grade to the juniors - and if this group of ladies has anything to do with it the Tigresses will ensure that trend continues.

As part of the AFLNSW/ACT’s initiative to extend the opportunity to play Aussie rules to the fairer gender, the black and golds will be holding a come-and-try evening at Country Club Oval from 6pm on Thursday for all interested ladies aged 15 or above.

Tigers president Luke Whitton is backing the idea and says any new and willing girls will be welcome at the Orange club.

“Absolutely,” he enthused, with Breanna Pearce, Kristen Hunter and Jayarna Kay already on board for the Orange girls.

“The opportunity to grow the club is something that excites me the most,” Whitton continued.

“We’re hopeful of having a number of girls from outside of the club see an opportunity here and become part of the Tigers.”

He said currently the club has about 10 interested girls, but added there was definitely plenty of room for more interested ladies ahead of the proposed start date for the new competition at the end of May.

“At the moment, basically, we’re seeking expressions of interest from any females out there who want to get involved in AFL,” Whitton said.

“We anticipate we’ll need a squad closer to 15 or 18 to allow for injuries and unavailability.”

The girls’ nine-a-side competition appears set to include sides from the Bathurst Bushrangers, Cowra Blues and Dubbo Demons, with the female matches to be run between the reserve grade and first grade fixtures on a Saturday.

If successful the addition of the girls’ format will provide the competition with a massive boost, especially with the likes of Mudgee, Parkes and Young still flagging in reserve grade and Cowra only boasting the one senior outfit throughout this season.

The Tigers’ come-and-try evening will begin at 6pm at Country Club Oval on Thursday.