Experienced captain Shontelle Stowers believes the new Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership team will open up more opportunities for female players on the Northern Beaches.
Stowers will lead the Sea Eagles in their historic debut match in the NSW open women’s competition against the Parramatta Eels at 4 Pines Park, Brookvale, on Saturday, July 6.
The Sea Eagles squad features several local players raised on the Northern Beaches in Teagan Long, Chelsea Smyth, Pier Pritchard, Maddison Binding, Lili Boyle, Paris Ingegenri, Nicole Backhouse, Aaliyah Paki, and Riley McKay.
Furthermore, seven players have progressed to the Harvey Norman NSW Women's team after playing for Manly in the U19s Tarsha Gale Cup competition over the past two years.
In describing the captaincy role as a ‘big privilege’, Stowers is determined to help further develop women’s rugby league on the Northern Beaches, where she has lived for well over a decade after growing up in New Zealand.
“For the last 15 years, I’ve been wanting to play a women’s premiership game locally,’’ Stowers said.
“I’ve always travelled from the Northern Beaches to North Sydney, Cronulla, Parramatta, and Wollongong, so to be able to travel 15 minutes down the road and to have a community around you that can attend home games and cheer Manly on is incredible.
“It’s a huge incentive for local girls here to stay in rugby league.
“There’s so much passion at Manly for women’s rugby league and plenty of people inside and out of the club have contributed heavily to this.
“It’s not an easy thing to do to get a team off the ground and Manly has done that. The pathways program here is incredible.
“A lot of the Tarsha Gale Cup (U19) girls that have been brought up to the Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership completely deserve their jerseys. They are outstanding young players and they will be the future of women’s rugby league here.
“I’m so excited for the girls because I know what moments like this mean.
“It’s going to be so good to play in the Manly jersey for the very first time in a women’s premiership match at such a high level and standard.
Match: Sea Eagles v Eels
Round 1 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
away Team
Eels
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
“That’s history right there, no one can ever take that away from us.
“We want to come out firing on Saturday and give the Northern Beaches people an incredible game against Parramatta. It will be good to see where we are at.”
