Flying high – Redmen selected in Corella’s Squad

By Gary Nichols

TWO Grafton Redmen players have bolted into the NSW Country Corella’s team after impressive debuts for Mid North Coast at the NSW Country Championships in Tamworth over the June long weekend.

Natalie Blackadder and Yuri Fuller have been instrumental in Grafton’s run to a tilt at this year’s Mid North Coast Women’s 10s premiership.

Both players had no idea if they did enough to gain selection in the Country squad, however a phone call from the Corellas’ coach on Friday confirmed what they hoped to hear.

“The coach called me about 10am while I was at work. He asked me how I was going and said he was just giving me a call to inform me I had been selected in the Country squad,” a jubilant Blackadder said.

“He also gave me a few tips on what I have to work on to improve my game which was great.”

It wasn’t so smooth sailing for Fuller who had to endure a nervous ten-hour wait for the call she thought would never eventuate.

“I didn’t get an early phone call because I put down the wrong number on the registration sheet,” Fuller laughed.

“They had to go searching for me and I got the phone call about eight-thirty that night.

“During the day I just excepted my fate and believed I missed out.”

Blackadder admitted she was a bundle of nerves before Mid North Coast’s opening game in Tamworth but added as soon as she ran out on the field the nerves quickly vanished.

“I thought I was going to die when we were warming up,” Blackadder said.

“But once I got out there, I cleared my head, made my first tackle and I was all good.

“It was such a different experience playing fifteen-a-side rugby. You have your role, and you have to stick with it as there is less room than ten-a-side.”

For the rangy Redmen back-rower, it was by chance she even tried out for the representative side.

“I only tried out for Mid North Coast because Tamar (McHugh, Redmen captain) and Yuri did it. I thought to myself, why not give it a go and see where it takes me,” she said.

Fuller, a prolific try-scorer, who can slot into most positions in the backline, said her selection had a lot to do with the improvement of the Grafton Redmen Women’s side and the quality of women’s rugby throughout the Mid North Coast.

“Our team has improved dramatically over the past two years and obviously the growth of Women’s Mid North Coast rugby has produced a higher standard with quality players throughout the Zone,” Fuller said.

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