Women in Sport is a series by the Mudgee Guardian where we highlight female figures in sport across the region every week.
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It often takes years and years of experience to be handed the opportunity of a lifetime to play sport on the international stage, however for Mudgee Wombat Rita Palm, frankly, that’s not the case.
She first took to the footy field in a bid to boost her fitness levels and maintain a busy lifestyle, but boy, has she done more than that.
Palm is just now heading into her second rugby union season, with 2019 also doubling as the year she will tour with the Central West Rugby Union women’s squad to New Zealand.
“I’m more excited than anything else,” she said.
Rita also is an advocate for ladies getting involved in the sport, and says making that first tackle is where the nerves at an all-time high.
“It was nerve-racking [having the first attempt] because if you had asked me to play tackle, I wouldn’t have done it because it was all daunting, but once I had the first game and first tackle I just loved it,” she said.
Palm coaches the junior girls Wombats’ side too, and says she loves that she is able to have a hand in raising Mudgee’s upcoming rugby stars.
“There’s more women getting involved which is good. It’s great to be apart of it,” Palm said.