St Mary's Primary School student Chloe Buck not only was selected to play with the Mackillop girls rugby 7s side, but she was part of the team that took out the State Championships last week. The side won the NSWPSSA Championships without losing a single game throughout the two days of competition. On top of taking out the state competition, Chloe was part of the Young Junior Rugby Union side who took out the Southern Inland Rugby Union competition only the day before. Chloe travelled to Sydney only four weeks ago to take part in the trials for the side as the girls don't yet have a pathway through Archdiocese like the boys side do. "We had to go to Sydney for the trials with 40 girls and they pick a team of 12," Mum Natalie Buck said. Chloe was the only girl from St Mary's who was selected in the squad for her age group, however, fortunately she knew other girls who tried out and ended up on the side through playing with the Junior Yabbies. The girls nominated for positions and were then assessed during the trial. "Most people were from Sydney and there was a girl from Wollongong and a girl from Wagga," Chloe said. "We did three games, we had one half each." During the trials on top of the three games the girls had been tested on their skills. "She nominated as a Centre," Nat said. "They ended up putting me as a forward because I was one of the bigger girls," Chloe said. Chloe has been playing rugby for years with the Young Yabbies, starting off with VIVA, but she has now made the transition to tackle. "It's more exciting," Chloe said. "I wanted to have more experience with footy because I like to play it as a team sport. "I thought that the touch got a bit boring and I like the idea of being able to get it all out." Chloe loves the aspect of the game that builds the team together, so even though she didn't have an opportunity to train or bond with her Mackillop teammates before the competition, she used that attitude when she took to the field. "You have more of a connection with your teammates," Chloe said. "Other than trialing with the girls, she didn't actually get a chance to play with the team until the day," Nat said. One of Chloe's teammates was actually on the opposing side in the SIJRU grand final on the Sunday before the competition, so the girls went from being adversaries to working together as part of the same team. Chloe is very passionate about the game and hopes that she will be able to continue playing into the future and join the Australian Women's Rugby side, especially as she finds the game to be great for making friends. "I really like it as a team sport and that there's as much pressure on you as everyone else," she said. "I like how most people that I've met in footy have been really supportive and encouraging, and most people that I've met this year through the boys team, I've made some good bonds and friendships. "You can still compete against people, but then most people you play against can be pretty nice." Chloe wanted to thank her Under 12s side, the Mackillop side, St Mary's Primary School, her Mum Natalie, her Dad Rich and her sister Emily for their support throughout the whole experience.
