Coming off the back of her Steelers debut in the Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership at the weekend, former Australian Jillaroo’s Halfback Caitlin Moran has injected a wealth of experience into the youthful Illawarra side.
After parting ways with the Newcastle Knights in the NRLW last season, the 27-year-old wasn’t sure what the next chapter in her Rugby League career looked like.
Even after considering hanging up the boots for good, Moran has found her new Rugby League home on the south coast wearing the Scarlet and White.
“From saying at the end of the year that I’m going to retire and that I’m done to coming down here… Wollongong kind of reminds me of Newcastle.”
Acclimatising
Having grown up in and around the region of Newcastle for the majority of her life, it was a big move and adjustment for Moran to make less than two weeks out from the season opener against Mounties last Saturday.
“I’m still finding my feet… It [Wollongong] is a lot like home, and the girls have been accommodating slowly I’m definitely getting there.”
“I only joined a week before going into Round One.”
“We’ve not had a long time to gel together but have come away excited for the season ahead, getting the nerves out after Round One.”
“The more training and more sessions we are doing, we are looking sharper.”
Steelers Assistant Coach Jy Clapham backs his No.7 to extend the successes she’s already achieved across her rugby league career at the Steelers.
“She’s fitting in quite well.”
“Week in, week out, she’s just going to keep getting better and better.”
[Watch Video]
Round One Reflections
Conceding a narrow four-point loss to the competition’s reigning premiers Mounties, Moran feels that there is a lot to take from her side’s hard-fought performance.
“It was a big defensive game, which I think we all came away pretty positive after it.”
The debutant says that now that the nerves surrounding preparation for round one are over, the Steelers can focus on strengthening combinations and building for a successful season ahead.
“Coming into it, we’ve not had a long time to gel but have come away excited for the season ahead.”
“It’s a new bunch of girls for me with different game plans and different game styles, which means I have to adjust myself as well.”
“Being able to help steer the girls around a little bit has taught me stuff as well.”
Vale’s Sense Of Community
Backrower Olivia Vale has a similar outlook on the weekend’s performance to her new teammate.
“Even though we lost, the girls showed resilience in holding them [Mounties] off.”
Playing for the Steelers for the second consecutive year, the Corrimal junior considers the club home.
“Coming back home and playing for Steelers again last year has been better; you want to win and make your local community proud.”
“Everyone always asks me at work how we are going, as everyone loves the Steelers.”
Back To Front
The biggest change for Vale this season is where she finds herself in the starting thirteen.
Transitioning from the wing to right edge back rower, the 21-year-old wants to make that position her own in the 2024 campaign. Possessing a love for defending and itching to get her hands on the ball more often, she says, were pivotal factors for the change.
“I love to defend; I get a lot more involved being in the back row and feel a lot more useful.”
“Coming into this new squad, ‘Sciz’ [Jamie Szczerbanik] didn’t really know us, so I started training in the second row.”
“He didn’t know I was back until last week. I told him that the Mounties game will be the first time I’ve played second row.”
“It was my idea [transitioning to back row]. I thought about it a bit last year but was sort of coming back from injury, and I didn’t really play a lot.”
While relishing her transition to the forward pack, it’s still early days, with Vale not ruling out a return to the wing down the track.
“Being a back is always still an option. I’m not closing anything off.”
Words: Joshua Houldin
Images: Warren Gannon Photography