Sally Dwyer's meteoric rise in the women's rugby league ranks reached a monumental new high on Wednesday.
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So much so the Parkes Spacecats, and former Orange Hawks, star had to get officials to double check it was in fact her name listed as part of the Prime Minister's XIII to take on Papua New Guinea next Saturday.
She’ll no doubt triple check, too.
"I keep asking to make sure they've got the right Sally," Dwyer laughed ahead of what will be her debut in national colours.
“I found out last week, on Wednesday … I honestly can’t believe it.”
She better start believing.
The reigning Group 11 league tag player of the year is the out-and-out bolter in the Jillaroos Prime Minister's XIII named to take on the Orchids, the PNG women’s side, next Saturday.
Dwyer has been named in the back-row for an Australian team also featuring, incredibly, another Parkes product in Talesha Quinn.
“When I saw ‘T’ yesterday it felt so much more surreal … it’s awesome we’re from the same town, and in the same position. There’s some good back-rowers in Parkes,” she joked.
From representing Hawks in the first women’s tackle competition in Western last October, then winning the inaugural Western Women’s Rugby League premiership with Group 10 a couple of months later – Dwyer’s ascension in the tackle game has been nothing short of rapid.
She’s represented Western and made the first southern NSW Country side, as well.
But it wasn’t until she was hand picked as part of a national pathways program that went into camp a couple of weeks ago that the 24-year-old Parkes back-rower knew she’d be in with a shot at ticking off one of her ultimate dreams.
Elite Female Pathways Manager Jamie Feeney and the national team’s strength and conditioning coach Simon Buxton put the girls through their paces in Queensland and let the squad know there would be some spots in the Jilaroos side up for grabs.
Dwyer, though, didn’t think she’d be one of them, not with fellow Western guns Kaitlyn Phillips, Lailee Phillips, India Draper, Milika Tuinakauvadra, Rebecca Ford and Grace Mooney all performing strongly.
Some of the guys were saying they shake the buses as you arrive in the stadium. It’s an amazing opportunity.
- Primer Minister's XIII back-rower, Parkes' Sally Dwyer.
“I thought it would be amazing for whoever got picked … the camp was so challenging mentally and physically,” she said.
“Jamie Feeney told me I was picked and I asked if they got the right Sally?”
The Australian women head into camp next Wednesday in preparation for a tour to the rugby league-mad Papua New Guinea.
The women’s game will act as a curtain-raiser for the men’s clash.
“I think some of the guys were saying they shake the buses as you arrive in the stadium. It’s an amazing opportunity,” she added.
“I don’t know what to expect, I haven’t checked them out yet and I don’t know if I want to think about it too much. I’ll just go out there and play my heart out.”
The Australian women take on the Orchids on Saturday, October 6 at Port Moresby.
Nick McGrath
Editor, Central Western Daily
Editor, Central Western Daily
