Women's tackle rugby league will make history this Saturday with the opening round of the Country Championships.
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Three Glen Innes women are set to take part in the milestone after being named in the Greater Northern team to play North Coast in Coffs Harbour in round one.
Amelia Tunamena was named in the run on team while Sarah Byrne and Alisa Tunamena will come off the bench.
They have been travelling to Tamworth and Werris Creek for training sessions.
Amelia said training has been going "really, really well."
"I have really been enjoying it. We are learning something different," she said.
"I have really enjoyed training and just learning all the ins and outs of it.
"I am really excited to play, I will be so nervous I reckon because it is a whole different thing."
Playing in the front row, Amelia said she's used to playing a more skills-based game in league tag and has been working on combining it with the physicality of tackle rugby league.
"He essentially wants me to be a ball-playing forward but it is essentially different to what I have always done," she said.
"I have just been trying to work on that stuff and run at spaces not faces."
The Glen Innes community has got behind the girls.
"Really great actually, people are still congratulating us," Amelia said.
"It is really well supported and people are always asking how the training is going, when we play, they genuinly want to know, it is great."
The Greater Northern team boasts nine Group 19 players and is coached by Mick Schmiedel.
Schmiedel is rapt with the effort and attitude of the 20-player squad.
"I haven't been this excited about coaching for a while now," he said.
"I think it is because of the rawness of the girls, they listen.
"Pete Stevens did an hour on defence with them the other day at Werris Creek and just watching the girls soak up everything he was putting down was just absolutely fabulous."
Schmiedel and the coaching staff, in Stevens, Craig MacLeod and Kate McCulloch have been working on refining the skills of the players but intend to keep their game plan simple.
"I have some simple things in place, there are only four set plays that they have got to memorise and rehearse and in reality they will probably only use two of them," he said.
"I have told them from day one they will be encouraged to play what they see and have some fun with it.
"I don't necessarily want them to play hot potato football but I still want them to enjoy it and not get down if something doesn't work because that is just football but just to go out and enjoy the moment.
"I think some other coaches might try to over-coach the girls and make them too structured, too robotic but I don't want to do that to our girls because they are new to the game so let them enjoy it and let them learn the game that way."
From Greater Northern's squad of 20, 18 will travel to Coffs Harbour and 17 named to play.
Country Rugby League will broadcast the match live through their website and Facebook page.
There will be four matches on Saturday with under 16s playing at 10am before under 18s at 11.20am.
The women's match will be at 12.50pm and the men's under 23s at 2pm.
Greater Northern women's team:
- Taneika Landsborough
- Toni Skuthorpe
- Shae Pemberton
- Lucy Prudden
- Alyce Walsh
- Amy Barraclough ©
- Robyn Broadbent
- Amelia Tunamena
- Taylah Blackadder
- Jess Morgan
- Lauren Clarke
- Brooke Davis (vc)
- Joan O'Leary
- Sarah Byrne
- Alisa Tunamena
- Katelyn Smith
- Brooke O'Halloran
- Zoe Darlington