Narooma’s Heidi Brownlie, Kymiah Stewart, Chelsea Tyrrell, Halle Constable, Neha Smith, Layla Rix and Shanaya Harrison (rear) and Kaliyah Smith of Batemans Bay, and Narooma’s Meah Beecham and Bridie Hampshire have been selected for the elite Canberra Raiders’ female pathways program. Photo: Marion Williams.
Nine female rugby league players from Narooma have been accepted into this year’s elite Canberra Raiders’ female pathways program.
Six from the South Coast Marlins Under 15 team will play in the inaugural Under 17 Lisa Fiaola competition, while three members of the South Coast Marlins Under 19s will be competing for the Under 19 Tarsha Gale Cup.
Both are NSW competitions with teams coming from across the state, including Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle.
Only 25 girls were accepted into each team for the 2025 NRLW Junior Representative season, so the six Narooma girls make up almost a quarter of the Under 17 team.
Narooma’s Meah Beecham, Shanaya Harrison, Layla Rix, Neha Smith, Kymiah Stewart, and Chelsea Tyrrell made the cut for the Under 17 Canberra Raiders team, while Heidi Brownlie, Halle Constable and Bridie Hampshire were selected for the Under 19 team.
Their selection is even more remarkable because the South Coast Marlins only formed two years ago.
Ms Rix, who has played rugby league for two years, said it was a good accomplishment to have been selected for the Under 17 Canberra Raiders team.
“It felt good knowing that I made it out of a lot of girls,” Ms Rix said.
The 50 members of the Canberra Raiders’ 2025 Under 17 and Under 19 teams after a training and mentoring session at Narooma’s Bar Beach on Saturday 25 January. Photo: Marion Williams.
Proud mother Kristy Beecham said there were not enough girls in Narooma to make a team “so our Group 16 club, the South Coast Marlins, covers from Batemans Bay to Eden, Jindabyne and Cooma”.
She said they trained once a week in Narooma and played in the Canberra competition.
Darrin Borthwick is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders NRLW team and manages the female pathways program.
“I think when you talk about the women’s game in general, it is amazing how quickly the interest and commitment has grown,” he said.
Mr Borthwick and some members of the Canberra Raiders NRLW team held skills clinics for junior girls and women’s age groups in Griffith, Young and Narooma in late January.
On Saturday (25 January), the 50 members of the 2025 Under 17 and Under 19 teams had a training session at Narooma’s Bar Beach, complete with passing, tackling, defence drills and a tug-of-war.
That was followed by a mentoring session with the professional NRLW players. They then went to Club Narooma to pick up their kit for the season.
Canberra Raiders NRLW head coach Darrin Borthwick, who also manages the female pathways program, at the training session at Narooma’s Bar Beach on Saturday 25 January. Photo: Canberra Raiders NRLW.
Mr Borthwick said the main reason they visited areas like Narooma was so that everyone understood the commitment of regional players, and the amount of travel they must do.
“They come so far each week to do what they love. It blows my mind,” he said.
Mrs Beecham, whose husband Troy coaches the South Coast Marlins, said it was great for a regional club to have such a strong representation in the Canberra Raiders’ pathways program.
“There is a lot of travel involved for these families, but it is worth it,” she said. “Three days a week we leave at midday and get home at 11 pm. We do a lot of carpooling, and some trips are very funny.”
Mr Borthwick said the development days and training sessions in regional areas were about looking at the next generation of players, getting them interested and understanding it was a safe sport.
“What I see with the South Coast girls is that it is driven by people like Kristy and Troy,” he said.
Mrs Beecham said the South Coast Marlins were a friendly group of 15- to 19-year-olds. “They are confident strong women who will go far.”
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