SIBLINGS Olivia, Emily and Riley Marsh will represent the Hunter Region in Country/Country junior rugby union championships this weekend.
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Olivia and Emily will play in the under 18 girls side in Sydney with younger brother Riley playing in Port Macquarie.
The Marsh family moved to Gloucester five years ago and the children started playing rugby through a program at Nabiac in 2019.
They hadn't had any experience in the code beforehand.
They initially played with Port Pirates in the Mid North Coast competition before switching to Maitland to further develop their skills.
All three have worked hard to develop skills with proud parents Amanda and Peter spending long hours on the road taking them to training and games. This includes four trips to Newcastle a week.
This year Olivia is playing with Gloucester Cockies, the dominant team in the Lower North Coast women's 10s, where she is coached by Chris Marchant and Howard Schultz.
She is now one of the senior players in the side, with many team mates new to the game, so her speed and ability to read play is a real bonus.
Emily is playing for Maitland women and the Wildfires in the Shute Shield cup. She is strong in defence and has shown her versatility by gaining selection in the sevens schools tournament held in Newcastle along with the Country under 18s. The squad will attend a development camp in Narrabeen in early July before the clash against City.
Not to be outdone, Riley, 15, is a perfect build for a second row. He is also hoping to gain selection in the NSW under 17 sevens side following the tournament to be played at Forster in October.
Cockies continue to blitz opposition
GLOUCESTER Cockies continued on their unbeaten run in the Lower North Coast Women's 10s rugby competition.
Playing at Gloucester, the Cockies were too good for a gallant Wallamba, winning 51-0. This was fitting, as it was the club's Ladies Day.
Five teams are contesting this season's women's 10s, with Gloucester and defending premiers, Manning Ratz the front runners.
Gloucester and the Ratz are scheduled to meet on Saturday, July 8.
Last weekend's game marked the start of the second round. The competition-proper will run for three rounds before the start of the semi-finals.
Gloucester is linked with the Old Bar Clams on the draw as Gloucester doesn't have a men's side and the Clams don't field a women's 10s team.
Last Saturday was the first of three games to be played in Gloucester.
