As many elite women's players clashed at the Harvey Norman National Championships in Redcliffe last weekend, some enthusiastic youngsters honed their skills through an all-girls League Stars clinic.
The one-off event was funded by the Moreton Bay Regional Council and the Dolphins club so that local participants, aged 4-12, could enjoy a free non-contact session with a focus on fun.
Running the League Stars clinic alongside the National Women's Championships at Moreton Daily Stadium aimed to demonstrate the ever-evolving pathways and opportunities for female players.
NRL game development officer Jesse Naumann conducted the session and said it was a fantastic success with plenty of "big smiles".
"They had such a great experience. Hopefully, it gives them a good taste and they want to join their local footy club," Naumann said.
"For this clinic, we did an hour's rotation of activities, then they got to move into the stadium and form a guard of honour for the opens final [teams] to run out through, which was a good experience for the girls.
"I think it was probably mostly new players [who participated], which was really good. There were some existing players, as they were wearing their club shorts and socks and stuff which was cool to see.
"[The parents] gave us lots of good feedback. They followed us into the stadium and got to sit in the seats and watch the girls on the field, so they saw the big smiles on their faces."
League Stars programs, for girls and boys, are run before or after school for primary school-aged children in various locations. You can find your nearest program on the League Stars website.
"League Stars is perfect for new and beginning players. It makes it way more enticing for them because it's non-contact; they don't have to be afraid of any of the tackling aspects of the game," Naumann said.
"We play different games with a rugby league footy in hand and it gives them a great little entrance into rugby league."
Women’s Origin tickets are on sale via NRL Tickets. Supporters can watch the historic match from just $5 for juniors, $15 for adults and $35 for families
