In a league of their own: Why Saturday was a special win for the Woden Valley Rams
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The Woden Valley Rams were too good for the Harden Hawks on Saturday, beating the visitors by 46 points in their first-ever home game of the Katrina Fanning Shield (KFS), the local women’s competition that has been running since 2017.
The win meant more than just two points for the club. Watching on from the sideline were women who paved the way for women in league almost three decades before the current competition was formed.
Woden Valley Rams 1992 Canberra Women’s Cup team Picture: Supplied.
One of them was Cath Welch, who first connected with the Rams in 1990 when her two sons played for the juniors. When the chance to become one of the first-ever women to play rugby league in Canberra came a year later, Ms Welch jumped at the opportunity.
“It was something I did for me,” said Cath. “It made the days busier because not only did the kids have training, I had training, the kids had games, I had games, the girls had their interests as well. It was a sense of achievement.”
Cath was a foundation player and captain of the Woden Valley Rams women’s side in the Canberra Women’s Rugby League competition, playing with the Rams for almost a decade. The club won two premierships in 1997 and 1998 before the competition folded in the early 2000s.
More than 20 years since she last played a game, Cath is elated that the Rams once again have a women’s side.
Inaugural Coach of the Woden Valley Rams open women’s team.
One person committed to expanding women’s rugby league in Canberra is the inaugural coach for the Rams KFS side, Anthony Willey.
Taking on an assistant coaching role with the Woden Valley Rams Juniors when his sons moved to the club, Anthony soon realised that the same opportunities didn’t exist for his daughter.
“Her and a few friends who were playing union at the time expressed their interest in playing league, so I followed that up.”
After establishing the Rams first under 15s girls side in 2019, Anthony continued to increase the options for young women at the club, before taking on the job as Open Women’s Tackle Coach for the Woden Valley Rams this year.
“For me, it was a no brainer. I’ve got three boys as well and there was always footy and sport that was easy for them to follow” he said. “It was just giving her [my daughter] that opportunity, to follow her dreams.”
Hayley Martin, Member of the Senior Leadership Group for the Woden Valley Rams.
Hayley Martin was one of the first recruits for the Rams inaugural KFS team. Now part of the Senior Leadership Group for the Woden Valley Rams, Hayley had been waiting for a tackle team after playing the non-contact version of rugby league with the club since 2019.
“I find the tackling aspect challenging and exciting,” says Hayley, who expressed that playing sport is important for more than just physical fitness.
“For me personally, it really helps my mental health, as well as making new connections.”
Cath Welch presenting Georgia Willey her jersey. Picture: Rania Yallop.
When reflecting on what has changed in the past 30 years, Cath Welch said that the effort put into developing pathways is evident in the quality of the game.
“To see how the game has improved. They’re playing really really good football. We went out and tried hard, and I’m not saying that there weren’t good footballers, but what you see now is just a step above, which comes from having those pathways, more experience, more skill developed and everything else before you get to those open grades.”
