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• THREE WA WOMEN NAMED IN WALLAROOS SQUAD

THREE WA WOMEN NAMED IN WALLAROOS SQUAD

Thursday, 23 July 2009 2:02pm

ARU

Debby Hodgkinson named in Walaroos squad

WA women Debbie Hodgkinson, Stadcey Kilmister and Rebecca Clough have been selected in the Paper to Paper Wallaroos squad for a must win 2010 World Cup qualifier Test match against Samoa on August 7

Kristy Giteau, 27, the older sister of Wallabies super star Matt Giteau, has also been named.

“Matt was more anxious than me to find out if I was in the team,” Kristy, a talented outside back, said.

“I got a call from him before the selection camp, a text message before the selection game, and another one after the match. He also called me on the day the squad was named to see whether I’d made the team.”

Kristy, who plays club Rugby for Tuggeranong Vikings in Canberra, is one of seven uncapped players in the side for the forthcoming women’s World Cup qualifier to be played in the Samoan capital of Apia.

“I have played club and State Rugby, and in 2004 I was actually in the Wallaroos squad for some time before I withdrew from that for personal reasons,” Kristy added.

“Playing in an international game will be a completely different experience to what I am used to. I’m really excited for that challenge and hopefully there are many more caps to come!”

Like her Wallaby brother, Kristy is a gifted athlete. She has previously represented Australia in rugby league and was a member of an Australian Schoolgirls basketball team which toured China and the U.S.

“I play a lot of different sports, for me I like that variety,” Kristy said. “This year was the first time I thought I would knuckle down and commit to just one sport and see how well I can go.

“I work at the Australian Institute of Sport, so at lunch time I am always playing sports,” she said. “I play basketball once a week in our State league comp in Division 1, and I also play Touch.

Kristy is a “little nervous and excited” about being selected in the Paper to Paper Wallaroos squad but is eager to again represent Australia.

“I am really excited for the opportunity…I have watched Matt represent his country for many years and I am in awe of what he experiences every time he goes on the field,” Kristy said.

Kristy believes the greatest influences on her career are her family. She describes them as “competitive but supportive” and believes having three brothers has equipped her for the challenge ahead.

“When I’m at home, sometimes I see this object running towards me out of the corner of my eye, and it’s my brothers trying to tackle me,” she laughed.

To qualify for the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, the Paper to Paper Wallaroos must beat Samoa.

Australia and Samoa are playing off for the Oceania position in the draw. New Zealand has already secured a place in the tournament after winning the last World Cup.

Cheryl Soon, one of the world’s finest women’s Rugby players, has been named captain of the Australian side for the crucial qualifying Test.

“We are very fortunate to have Cheryl to lead this group; she is an outstanding leader and role model to all the girls,” John Manenti, the new Head Coach of the Paper to Paper Wallaroos, said.

Seven players in the Paper to Paper Wallaroos squad are also members of the victorious Australian Women’s Sevens team that won the inaugural World Cup Sevens crown in Dubai in March this year.

They are; Nicole Beck, Hodgkinson, Cheryl Soon, Tui Ormsby, Ruan Sims, Tricia Brown and Alex Hargreaves.

The trials for the Samoa Test match were held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

“The selection game was a great indicator of the competitiveness within the group; the physicality was matched by the skill level as one of the best seen at this level,” Manenti said.

At the last Women’s Rugby World Cup in Edmonton, Canada, in 2006, the Paper to Paper Wallaroos finished in 7^th place. In 2010 they are determined to follow in the footsteps of the Australian Women’s Sevens Team and win the World Cup title.

The Paper to Paper Wallaroos squad is comprised of 22 players and two shadow players. The side will assemble at the AIS in Canberra next Wednesday, with an additional 10 shadow players (who will not travel to Samoa), to prepare for their World Cup qualifier.

Paper to Paper Wallaroos Squad for 2009 Samoa Tour:

* Uncapped Paper to Paper Wallaroos