Sport
9 January, 2026
BEST OF 2025: Flamin’ Galahs first-ever minor premiership
First published July 16, 2025. The Flamin’ Galahs secured their first-ever minor premiership in the Western Plains Women’s Tri Tag competition.
By The Pink Parrot
Cometh the hour, cometh the ladies. The Flamin’ Galahs secured their first-ever minor premiership in the Western Plains Women’s Tri Tag competition with an awe-inspiring, dominant second-half display to defeat the Coonamble Rams ladies team 25-10.
It was Coonamble’s Ladies Day, and it was first playing second in the top of the table Ahrens Cup Tri Tag clash.
However, the Rams were left scratching their heads as to the one that they may have let get away at half-time.
The Flamin’ Galahs to this point were undefeated so far for the season, and the Coonamble Rams ladies team had only tasted defeat once this season in round one at the hands of the Flamin’ Galahs.
This was built as the game so far of the season in the women’s Tri Tag competition. The Flamin’ Galahs had one of their most inspiring training sessions for the week leading up to this game, and they knew they were in for a fight against a team that wanted to knock them off their perch.
Coonamble ladies won the toss, then strangely decided to run with the strong southerly wind to their backs in the first half.
The breeze was put at a possible two-try advantage to the team running with it. This may have paid dividends as the game was only five minutes old when, for the first time this season, the Flamin’ Galahs had their tryline breached first before they had scored to trail 5-0 to the smart Coonamble outfit. The Flamin’ Galahs could have panicked, but the ladies had been physically and mentally prepared for this by coach King and knew what to do and what not to do.
The ladies regathered themselves and set themselves into the grind of a very tight and entertaining first half of Tri Tag rugby.
Neither team was to give no quarter in attack or defence. It was exceptional attacking play by both teams, met with very impressive defence and tagging by both teams.
The Flamin’ Galahs forwards, whom we will give the anagram of F.F.F, being the Fab Four Forwards of captain Makaila Gordon, Jess Fleming, Canelle Coppin and Allana Clark, were running hard and causing headaches and gave some indication of what was to come in the second half.
This was well and truly first against second in all aspects of the game. It was not till about the 20th minute that smart inside centre Rani Diggs put a kick through for her winger Kelsey Hutchison, who got the perfect bounce and scored the equaliser for the Flamin’ Galahs.
The conversion was unsuccessful, and the scores at half-time were 5-5.
What unfolded in the second half of the game was just a coach’s and spectators’ delight for the Flamin’ Galahs. Smart kicks using the wind at the Flamin’ Galahs back way down into Coonamble Rams territory by fly half Caitlynn Mills, aka CK, had the Coonamble ladies turning back time after time. The Flamin’ Galahs defence became something that resembled the Great Wall of China, and the opposition were having real issues penetrating it.
Wollongong Wiz Kayla Beaton was having a wow of a game in attack, and Kayla’s defence in tagging had to be seen to be believed.
Kayla lifted the whole team, and they all responded. It did not matter who Coach King interchanged with whom, there was not a weak link in the mindset and attitude of this squad of players.
The centres of Kayla, Rani and Lucy Irish were playing the house down. Lucy was always probing, looking for that intercept as well as being ruthless in defence.
The wingers were exceptional on the day, being Sharna Steadman, Kelsey Hutchison, Teagan Watt, Ella Wykes and Fiona Wright, who also filled in the centres at the end of the game.
It was winger Sharna Steadman who got the second half rolling when she scored off a smart play of hands from the backline that saw her score in the corner for the Flamin’ Galahs to take the lead for the first time in the match, 10-5. The try was not converted.
The Coonamble ladies threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at the Flamin’ Galahs defence and they would not budge.
The Coonamble ladies defence in return was just as good, and it took what was one of the most wonderful tries of the day when dynamic fullback Paige Wilson kicked through for herself about 30 metres from the tryline and regathered in one foul swoop and scored a brilliant individual try.
This made the score now 15-5. The conversion was unsuccessful.
It cannot go without mention the classy display by the new rover Grace Lummis, who was running the house down to get to rucks and keep the attack going for the Flamin’ Galahs. This was met equally by her interchange player, Peta Bradley.
Scrum half Sarah Chandler was in everything, and so was the substitute player of anyone in the backline, the irreplaceable Heidi Ferguson.
It was shortly after another great show of hands by the backline had Kelsey Hutchison making a break from an overlap and sprint fifty metres with the opposition hot on her tail to score and make it now 20-5 to the Flamin’ Galahs. The conversion hit the woodwork and was unsuccessful.
The icing was put on the cake by the dominant display of the Flamin’ Galahs when CK weaved her way through the Coonamble defence and offloaded to the ever-present support player Rani Diggs, who herself sprinted to the tryline to score to give the Flamin’ Galahs now an impressive 25-5 scoreline over Coonamble ladies. The conversion was again waved away.
With about 10 minutes to go, the Flamin’ Galahs defended a wave after wave of attacking play from a spirited Coonamble ladies outfit.
It was only when Flamin’ Galahs player Peta Bradley suffered one of the nastiest dislocated fingers seen had to leave the field urgently and in some distress that the Coonamble ladies pounced.
While the Flamin’ Galahs were a player down and trying to regather themselves from Bradley’s ugly injury, and scored in the corner. This made the scoreline 25-10 to the Flamin’ Galahs, and this was to be the full-time scoreline.
This was a remarkable game by two high-quality teams that will no doubt lock horns in a few weeks when finals come around. But the highly focused and gutsy effort by the Flamin’ Galahs in the second half was something to behold.
All roads lead to Walgett this week, and the task will be no easier at all for the Flamin’ Galahs to try and keep their impressive record intact. The Walgett ladies are a very classy, unpredictable and dangerous team on their day.
Points for the game were as follows. Three points to Kayla Beaton. Two points each to Paige Wilson and Kelsey Hutchison. One point each to Heidi Ferguson and Canelle Coppin. Players player was Kelsey Hutchison.
