Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Origin coach Andrew Patmore believes investing in the professional development of rising female talent will help create better competitions across the state following a successful Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup Positional Training Day on Sunday.
Patmore led a contingent of current and former Rugby League players, including Mark O’Meley, Jamie Feeney, Tim Browne and Simaima Taufa, in coaching more than 30 players from the Under 18’s women’s competition at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence.
The session put an emphasis on the finer details of a Rugby League forward’s role on the field and Patmore hopes that further guidance can only be of a greater benefit for female players moving forward.
“It’s just about teaching them their roles, what they need to do, especially in transitioning into 13-aside footy (because) it’s a lot different to 9 and 11-aside formats of the game.
“So hopefully they get a few hints and tricks for what their roles are on the field.
“We want all of our competitions to be better. If our comps are better, our girls are playing better.
“In the end, they will come into our pathways teams and Origin teams as better footballers so it’s about the whole game.”
The session consisted of training drills that placed an importance on the fundamental skills of a forward while also fine-tuning their development with hints and tricks they can take away and use in the future.
However, Patmore said the opportunity to train at a world-class facility, used by all of NSWRL's pathway squads and the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues, is just as important with the players immersing themselves in an environment that will motivate them to become better footballers.
"It's about seeing us here at NSW and knowing that it’s a part of the process, and this great facility we have, (it's an opportunity) to share it with our girls coming through," he said.
"I don’t want them to think purely about Origin, I want them to be better footballers, play for their clubs and then hopefully, if they develop, they’ll come through and play in our pathways."
