THE Singleton Greyhounds will start their Group 21 CRL Women’s Nines title defence at Murrurundi on Friday night.
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Following the success of the inaugural tournament, last season, the fast-paced open-age format returns with Aberdeen, Denman, Singleton, Merriwa, Murrurundi and Muswellbrook all vying for the 2017 title.
The Greyhounds stormed home in the decider to upset the Ramettes at Olympic Park – and, from early reports, appear hell-bent on keeping the shield in their possession.
With Muswellbrook leading 6-4, Tyler Kersley scored the match-winning try in the last 60 seconds.
Holly Fisher-Webster added the extras after the siren to secure the 10-6 victory.
The new-look Greyhounds face the Merriwa Magpies in the 2017 opener, following the Murrurundi and Muswellbrook clash at 6pm.
Aberdeen tackles Denman in the third fixture from 7.10pm.
Country Rugby League female participation officer Kylie Hilder believes the strong response to the competition is a terrific sign of the rising popularity of rugby league among women.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the demand from groups across regional NSW to host the CRL Women’s Nines,” she said.
“To expand from just a couple of competitions last season to now having eight running with more than 1500 registered players is a great indication of that.
“In recent times we’ve seen the addition of league tag in the Country Championships, the introduction of the CRL Women’s Nines and also the first Country Women’s team selected to take on City.
“It’s a fantastic time for women in the game with the amount of opportunities beginning to present themselves.”