GRACE Broderick from the Lake Cathie-Bonny Hills Raiders (LCBHR) made her refereeing debut on Saturday, 5 July, marking an important milestone in her rugby league journey.
Bravely stepping onto the field to officiate her very first game, Grace joined teammate Eva Butler in a growing trend of female players taking up the whistle.
This trend underscores the growing opportunities for girls and women in rugby league, driven by the rising popularity of the National Rugby League Women’s Premiership (NRLW) and the implementation of inclusion initiatives like “Play our Way” and “Breaking Barriers”.
Grace’s interest in rugby league first developed through her older brother Tim, a long-term member of the Raiders and current player in their Under 18s team.
In 2022 Grace, alongside older sister Annabel, joined the Raiders, playing in the club’s female league tag teams.
She hasn’t looked back since.
“When I heard Lake Cathie were putting together a girls league tag team I was really keen to join as I had played oz-tag before and I had enjoyed doing that,” said Grace.
“I decided to become a referee as I like to help out my community and it is a fun way to get some pocket money so I can start to save up for my own car.”
Raiders secretary Monique “Monsy” Wardle praised Grace and Eva for making the decision to step up as officials.
“We had two of our junior girls making their refereeing debut recently,” said Monsy.
“Eva Butler, who refereed her first U6s league-tag game on Saturday, 21 June and Grace Broderick who refereed her first game on Saturday, 5 July.
“The girls did an outstanding job and the club is extremely glad to have them on board.”
Club president Benny Smith told News Of The Area, “From being involved with numerous clubs over the years, the one thing they all have in common is the struggle to find enough referees to cover matches.
“There never seems to be enough of them.
“Referees are an integral part of our game and without them, we can’t play.
“It’s great to see these girls getting involved and helping out the club by doing the work and taking on these important extra responsibilities.”
By Kim AMBROSE
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