RELATED CONTENT: Girls learn from the best with Brumbies visit
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Saturday marked a special homecoming for former Moruya girl, Tasha Brunhuber, who joined Brumbies teammates Irene Macarthur, Violeta Tupuola and Sophie Lambie for a women’s skills session at Hanging Rock Oval.
Not only is the 22-year-old doing the region proud as part of the Brumbies set up, but she has also been selected in the national squad.
She was more than happy to pass on her knowledge of the game some of the Bay’s burgeoning female stars on the weekend.
“When I was living here, there was barely any rugby options for females, which is part of why I was so interested in taking part in this skills session,” she said.
“I was really keen to see the turnout and the talent here.
“From what I have seen so far, there is definitely a lot of potential.”
It has been rapid rise through the ranks for Brunhuber who was selected for the Wallaroos, despite having only played the game for two years.
A former Moruya Sharkette, she crossed codes after moving to Canberra for work and “wanting to try something different.”
She said one training session was all it took for her to realise where her sporting loyalty lay.
“I fell in love straight away,” she said.
“I found it to be a very complex game to learn.
“I think there are parts of it that I still haven’t quite got my head around.”
After starting in second row, she became a prop, where she managed to catch the eye of Wallaroos selectors.
Brunhuber joins nearly 40 other girls vying for spots on the team to compete at the 2017 Women’s World Cup in Ireland later this year.
Starting in August, Australia will face off against Wales and Italy in the group stages.
While Brunhuber is excited at the prospect of playing rugby overseas, she admitted her progress has taken even her by surprise.
“It didn’t feel real when i first heard the news,” she said.
“I thought to myself there was no way they’d pick someone who’d been playing for as long as I had.
“Now I’m training one or times a day and going to more trials.
“We train at the Brumbies HQ with the ACT coaches, who are in contact with coaches in Sydney.
“Fingers crossed I make the final cut.”
She is joined in the squad by her Brumbies teammate, Violeta Tupuola, who also helped conduct drills at Saturday’s clinic.
Brunhuber credited her support network at the Brumbies for allowing her to take the sport to the next level.
“I’ve had a lot of people help me out,” she said.
“My teammate Irene Macarthur always gets my name out there.
“There is another girl at Brumbies, Louise Burrows, who has a lot of experience with the Wallaroos side, and she has just been great.
“It is a really good environment.”