Rising stars: The story behind Nambour Toads women’s rugby success

Nambour’s Bridget Carter prepares for a lineout.  

Nambour Toads Women’s Rugby has come a long way in just 18 months.

After a successful 2020, in which they fielded their first junior outfit in a decade and their first girls rugby team after a 16-year hiatus, the momentum continued this year. The senior women finished second on the table behind the ever-strong Noosa and the U17 team won the premiership.

“We are extremely proud of what we have established at Nambour for girl’s and women’s rugby in a short time,” said Coach Luke Zeremes.  “Over the past 18 months, we have developed the biggest female rugby program on the Sunshine Coast.

“We have two teams in the current SCRU Womens 7s comp which is more than any other club and the same for the U17 Youth 7s.”

Essentially though, Zeremes said, the main goal of Nambour Women’s Rugby was to keep young women involved in sport at a time when they might otherwise drop out upon leaving school. 

“The main objective is to have fun on and off field,” he said. “And any positive results and representative achievements are just a bonus.”

Zeremes said he was proud to see the growth of girls’ rugby at Nambour.  “Coupled with the growth of our junior program, we are seeing some exciting things occurring at the club. I have been a long-term advocate for girls rugby in Sunshine Coast schools so to move into the club arena and see the success we are achieving in building a strong culture that celebrates female rugby is terrific.” 

Zeremes said for many years, the closest club for Nambour locals (girls and juniors) had been Maroochydore. 

“So to have a local option is very important for the hinterland community. It is not only the quantity of players that we are getting involved but the quality of their experience is wonderful to see.”

Equally pleasing he said, was seeing Nambour punching above its weight in the women’s arena. 

“The club is benefiting from some strong programs in local schools; particularly St John’s College which has the largest girls rugby program on the Sunshine Coast as well as Nambour Christian College which also has a growing program.”

Zeremes paid tribute to the Nambour’s  “amazing culture” where girls and women’s rugby is truly celebrated. 

“We have 100 percent player retention from 2020 and these players are bringing more friends along. We also have some players from other clubs who have seen how much we value female rugby at the club and are making the decision to come across to be a part of the positive culture that we have.”

Nambour’s two teams were unbeaten after two rounds of the Open Women’s 7s tournament having beaten Gympie, Caloundra, University and Noosa recently.

The competition continues at Noosa this  Friday night before heading to Uni on October 22. The finals will be held October 29.

The schedule is busy, with two Nambour teams entered in the Sunshine Coast 7s at Caloundra on October 30. Nambour will also field a team in the BrisVegas Rugby 7s at Wests Rugby Toowong on November 6 and the Roma 7s on February 11 and 12.   

Nambour Women’s Achievements

• 2020 and 2021 SCRU U17 Youth 7’s Premiers

• 2020 and 2021 SCRU U15 Youth 7’s Runners Up

• 2021 SCRU Women’s Finalists

• 9 x Youth Girls Stingrays representatives in 2021

• 4 x U16 Sunshine Coast Schools representatives in 2021

• 4 x Womens Qld Country representatives in 2021.