Sign In / Register
The first two rugby league musters for women were so popular, Coasties have lobbied the Raiders Rugby League club for a third muster before Christmas.
Club chair Seth Gleeson said they had been working towards fielding a senior women’s team for a few years but this year the push has come from the women themselves.
“The last time we put the word out we didn’t get enough interest to but this year we had the women approach us to put a team together,” Gleeson said.
Senior mens league player and club coach Takangaroa (TK) Davison said that was what piqued his interest. He has coached all levels of league at the club.
“I’ve been around the club a long time. I’m the one that gets shunted forward when a team needs a coach. But this time it was something I was really keen on being a part of because it’s making history on the Coast.
“We have had a really awesome core group of women at the club for a long time. They created a really cool environment and my job is to nurture that and create something that is enjoyable with this team,” Davison said.
With the first muster in October, Gleeson and Davison hoped to gauge how real the interest was after the announcement drove enough buzz to attract more than 150 women to the Facebook group. They were not disappointed with 25 women turning up and sharing positive feedback at the end.
“We had a bit less turn up to the second muster last month but we had women travelling from Wellsford and Massey. And there’s some really awesome talent among the new faces that are turning up,” Davidson said.
He said that a number of the women got involved for the fitness and social aspect but there’s likely to be enough depth for the club to enter a team into the Auckland Women’s Championship competition next year.
The club will hold pre-season training in the new year. Davidson said it was likely to start at the end of January to give the coaching team and the new players enough time to find their strengths, areas for improvement and more importantly to get to know each other and gel as a team.
“Fitness is a big part of that. It’s about more than building your individual stamina. It’s about building a bond and culture. When you are absolutely smashed and the person next to you is feeling the same, there’s solidarity in suffering. No success comes before there’s a culture that everyone buys in to,” Davidson said.
He shared that the most rewarding thing for him isn’t a team’s success, but rather the individual players growth. That’s what drives Davison. His plate is already full coaching and playing for the men’s reserves team as well as being an assistant coach for the men’s premier team. But he said that if no one else steps up to coach the new women’s team, he will make it work.
“A group of us put our hands up to make this happen. Taylor Raj and Sez, Sarah Ngere, will also be a part of the coaching team. We’re determined to support this team.
We would like to have about 25 to 30 women sign up because the league season can be long and gruelling. It’s doable with what I’ve seen at the musters so far and we decided to have another one this week.
Anyone can come along and have a go. It’s nothing too strenuous, just a chance to get the ball in your hands and to meet people,” Davidson said.
The Raiders will hold a third muster at the club on Sunday, December 8, at 2pm.
