CORRIMAL'S all-conquering women's side has made a habit of breaking new ground for the game and they'll take another big stride in that vein when they take on the best of the Combined Affiliated States this weekend.
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The Cougars have stepped up on short notice to fill the hole left in the draw by South Australia's withdrawal from the annual carnival that will begin at St Mary's on Good Friday.
Coach Alicia Hawke said the club jumped at the chance to take on rep sides from Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory despite the challenge of putting a squad together just a fortnight out from the carnival.
"We've only had two weeks to pull a side together but as soon as I asked the girls who'd be keen we got about 10 jumping on straight away," she said.
"That gave us the kick-start to make it happen. Even though it's been challenging pulling it all together we couldn't not pursue it, it'd be silly to give up the chance to give the girls a bit more footy.
"We had tried to line up a few trials but for different reasons they fell through last minute. A lot of us haven't played for a while now so getting our hands on the ball again will be really good."
The Cougars stepped up in similar fashion two years ago, self-funding a tour of Canada ahead of the 2017 World Cup - a trip that played a major role in the Ravens subsequent performance at the tournament.
The weekend will also see some surrounding regional talent show their wares in front of of rep selectors.
"We've got half the team made up of our Corrimal girls and then we've got a couple of Illawarra rep girls and we've got some girls from the Riverina and Western Rams who are going to have a run with us as well," Hawke said.
"It's a win for everyone. Our Corrimal girls get to have a run and the surrounding CRL girls don't get to play a lot of regular footy so it's a good experience for them.
"It'll be exciting to see some of the talent we've got there."
It will be the first outing for a new-look Cougars outfit after a number of stars graduated to the Sydney competition this season. Hawke said it's an opportunity for new talent and veterans alike.
"We've had six or seven girls move on to the Sydney comp so we'll be a different looking team," she said.
"We've got a couple of new girls that we're excited to see how they go. They probably don't realise how much talent they've got.
"We've got some other girls that have been in the team for a very long time but probably haven't had the opportunity to stand up as much so it's a great chance for them to step up."
Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
