Bay's State of Origin player eyes NZ Maori league selection
A week after her second State of Origin rugby league appearance Hawke's Bay's Courtney Tamati has set a fresh set of goals.
Flaxmere's Tamati, 18, who moved to Queensland with her family six-and-a-half years ago played scrumhalf for the Queensland Under-19 girls team which lost 16-12 to their New South Wales counterparts on the Sunshine Coast last Friday night. The match was played as a curtainraiser to the women's State of Origin clash.
Scrumhalf Tamati (pictured above) played the entire match. Her kicking metres average was 146.3, she made 13 tackles with a 92.9 per cent success rate and had 12 running metres.
"Although it wasn't the result we wanted it was an awesome experience being in camp for a week and experiencing a bit of what professional players go through," Tamati explained.
"It would be an amazing achievement if I made the women's Origin. It's definitely something I hope to do in the future," Tamati said.
In 2019 Tamati played in the under-18 girls State of Origin. In April her Sydney Rosters team was beaten by the St George Dragons in the NRL under-19 girls final.
Once travel restrictions are reduced Tamati will return to Sydney from Queensland.
"I hope to be part of the Roosters NRL Women's squad this year. Whether it's playing or training it would be a good opportunity to learn from experienced coaches and players," Tamati said.
"I would love to be able to play for the New Zealand Maori team one day because i know there is more meaning behind the jersey itself and I would love to experience it. To represent myself and family here and back home would be such a special moment," Tamati explained..
"I just want to keep playing footy and ticking boxes to hopefully play at the top level and to get a full contract with the Roosters. I know that to get there it is not easy. so by putting in the hard work and pushing myself to be the best I can be and believing in myself and doing all the right things I'm giving myself every chance," Tamati said.
"I have good support at the Roosters and with the QRL. So it will definitely be worth sacrificing things others do at my age because opportunities like this only come once so I'm not taking anything for granted," Tamati said.
"I want to do this to make my family proud and all 've done so far wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for every person who has helped me along the way," Tamati said.
"I just want other young girls to know anything is possible if you are prepared to work hard to achieve your goals and by surrounding yourself with good people helps.
"Look at me, all the way from Flaxmere and almost onto women's league's biggest stage ... anything is possible," Tamati added.
One of five brothers and sisters in her family, Tamati, boasts sporting genes which were always going to work in her favour. Her father Corey is a former MAC and Hastings High School Old Boys premier rugby player, MAC and Omahu Huia league player and former Hawke's Bay softball rep.
Her mother, Vanessa, is an aunt of former world champion touch player and former Magpies rugby player Nui Bartlett. Another former Magpie, Darryl Tamati, is among her uncles.
She is also a distant relative of Hawke's Bay's Kiwis league legend, Kevin Tamati, on her great-grandmother's side.
