It has been nine years between premierships for the Wangi Warriors but if the rugby league club's ladies overcome Tea Gardens in this Saturday's tag preliminary final, they could change that.
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The Warriors ladies league tag team overcame Cardiff 16-14 in the Newcastle and Hunter Rugby League semi-final on Saturday to move through to this weekend's B-grade preliminary - one step further than they went in their inaugural season last year.
"We're really excited," the team's coach and player Tirikawa "TK" Ririnui said. "We're a really tight-knit group of ladies. I think the strong bond that we have has really helped us as a team.
"We try and have a lot of fun on the field. We noticed this season that if it stops being fun, it lets us down. We also get a lot of support from the club and the community. We feel blessed to have come this far and we're excited to go further."
Ririnui added that the team, made up players aged 17 to 50, was fortunate to have Ashley Williams amongst it ranks. The veteran rugby league player has been a guiding force for the team during the past two years.
"We've learned a lot from her. We're blessed to have her," Ririnui said.
The ladies are the only Wangi team left flying the flag for the club with the senior men and juniors teams now out of their respective competitions. Wangi's men, playing in the NHRL southern conference, were knocked out of the finals on Saturday by Kotara. The warriors lost the semi-final 14-6.
Ririnui said 2010 was a special year for the Wangi rugby league club as it marked 20 years since the men's team last won a premiership. "It would be great if we make it through to the grand final and won, but one game at a time," she said.
Wangi return to Lakeside in Raymond Terrace on Saturday to face Tea Gardens at 12.40pm. Should they win, Wangi will go straight through to the grand final where they would face West Wallsend.
Ririnui said the Warriors had beaten both Tea Gardens and West Wallsend throughout the season. The ladies will train twice this week in the lead up to the preliminary final. The team is calling on the community to support the ladies at Lakeside on Saturday.
This story has been updated. The original version stated that it had been 20 years since the Wangi Warriors won a premiership, when is has been nine. This information was supplied to the Lakes Mail.