Cover Photo Credit: The Riverine Grazier

By Tallon Smith

The Hay Magpies etched their name into history as the inaugural Women’s Tackle Premiers in Group 20 after an 18-16 win over the TLU Sharks at Solar Mad Stadium in Griffith on Sunday.

The win is the Hay club’s first premiership since their 2016 League Tag triumph over the Leeton Greenies, and builds upon the club’s strong Women’s rugby league culture, which saw the club qualify for the finals in both senior female competitions this year and has produced players of the calibre of NSW Origin halfback Rachael Pearson.

Magpies Director of Coaching Neil-John Nisbet said that the win is a great feeling for the small-town club, who have often been amongst the also-rans in their 17-year tenure in the competition.

“It certainly is a really good feeling, [we’re] a pretty small club and we’ve struggled a fair bit this year,” he said. 

“To come away with this win, there was a lot of Magpies supporters and committee that were there [on Sunday], so it was good for our club that we actually did win that game.”

For a town which has had its struggles in the men’s grades and is dominated by the ‘golden child’ Hay Lions Aussie Rules club, the Magpies have produced more female stars than their share, something Nisbet said the club is very proud of.

“We pushed very hard right across the board for our women’s [teams], [and while] you mightn’t see the results sometimes, we look forward to promoting it and pushing it,” he said.

“There’s a really great avenue now for the girls to play Rugby League, and it’s fantastic that Group 20 actually did take it on. 

“I hope more clubs are a little bit more involved with it next year.”

As for the prospect of league tag continuing alongside the booming tackle game, Nisbet said it can be done, as all five tackle sides proved this season, with Yenda, West Wyalong, Griffith Black & Whites and the Magpies making up four of the five finals spots in the League Tag premiership whilst also fielding tackle sides.

“Some of our girls played league tag and then [backed up for] tackle later in the day,” he said.

“So it can be done if people just want to do it and have a little bit of a change, I think it’s a fantastic innovation by Group 20.”

As for the future of the club as a whole, Nisbet said that while they had been starved of success before Sunday’s premiership, winning only four premierships across all grades since they entered Group 20 in 2007, the victory has certainly boosted spirits amongst the town’s passionate rugby league community. 

“Well, it actually is a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

“I think it’s no secret that Hay is getting smaller, and it’s like most country towns [in] that everybody seems to migrate to the cities, and people who immigrate to Australia, they don’t come out to the country towns, they go to the cities.

“So it seems to be a bigger problem all around where the smaller clubs will constantly struggle to attract players and have players there [due to] work and just other lifestyle things.”

The Magpies are currently looking for 2025 sponsors as they gear up for another year of footy on the plains, with details available on the club’s social media pages.