Young schoolgirls from across Queensland will converge on Redcliffe’s Dolphin Stadium this Friday (September 6, 2019) for the third annual Karyn Murphy Cup Queensland state final.
Coming from places as diverse as Townsville in north Queensland to the southern suburbs of the Gold Coast, young schoolgirls will have a chance to showcase their love of rugby league in a day-long finals series dedicated to growing female rugby league in Queensland.
NRL Female Participation Coordinator for Queensland Keeown Rawnsley said the Karyn Murphy Cup has become a strong brand for young girls to grow in a grassroots environment.
“We are seeing that participation for young girls is going up every year, especially in girls aged 13 to 15, which has demonstrated the increase in registered participants,” Rawnsley said.
The Karyn Murphy Cup is first and foremost about the participation of young women in the game of rugby league, giving young girls an outlet to make new friends, to experience new challenges, and provide further pathways towards professional rugby league.
Each year since its inception in 2017, the tournament has grown in size and now features 233 teams across four age divisions and the secondary age divisions fighting for their chance to represent their region at the finals in Redcliffe this Friday.
Winners from each school region played-off in August to see which three teams from each age division would reach the finals series, with teams from Townsville, Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Logan featuring across the divisions.
The competition is a nine-a-side event, that can be entered through schools at any skill level and for girls of any background to participate.
Tournament coordinator Rawnsley said the girls who participated in the competition in 2019 were all helping to build an environment that was progressive and exciting for young girls.
“With all of the girls coming from across the state, we are seeing girls build friendships and also help the younger girls participating to grow and improve,” Rawnsley said.
“We want everyone to feel like they can participate, for us every single young girl who has played in this years Karyn Murphy Cup is equally valuable and we are glad to be helping grow female rugby league.”
The Cup itself is named after Queensland icon of women’s rugby league Karyn Murphy, someone who has worked tirelessly to cultivate the continued growth of female participation in the code.
In an added boost, the girls attending this Friday’s event would also have the chance to meet some of their women’s rugby league heroes.
“We of course can’t give everything away for the girls, but we will have some elite Brisbane Broncos women’s players in attendance and of course we are proud to have Karyn (Murphy) back for the third year in a row,” Rawnsley said.
The games kick off on Friday morning at 9.30am at Redcliffe’s Dolphin Stadium, with the day concluding with a presentation at 3.30pm.
Karyn Murphy Cup 2019 finalists
Year 7/8
- Kirwan SHS- Northern
- Keebra Park SHS- South Coast
- Mabel Park SHS- Met East
Year 9/10
- Kirwan SHS- Northern
- Beenleigh SHS- South Coast
- Mabel Park SHS- Met East
Year 11/12
- Kirwan SHS- Northern
- Keebra Park SHS- South Coast
- Mabel Park SHS- Met East
