Ever since she was a little girl, Chloe Patrick has loved playing footy.
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The 18-year-old Mudgee-native selected to play in the Penrith Panthers Representative squad late in 2023 and already has a number of wins under her belt, with her side downing the St George Illawarra Dragons side 40-0 in round one and the Rabbitohs 32-4 in round two of the Tarsha Gale Cup
But Chloe's journey to the big leagues hasn't been easy. The middle child of five, Chloe would play school footy with her brothers before spending a few years playing with the Gulgong Terriers girls team. For a time the Terriers didn't field a side so Chloe played league tag for a year before joining the then new female Mudgee Dragons side - now known as the Midwest Brumbies.
While playing with the Brumbies, Chloe tried out for Western Rams where she was selected for and played at a gala day at the Central Coast, from there she was picked to play a trial game for the Panthers - and exciting step up - but work commitments got in the way.
"I took a break from footy but regretted it and then I got an email asking if I would like to trial out for the Penrith Panthers again and so I did," Patrick said.
"I didn't think I was going to get selected as it was my first footy game I had played in a year. There were 30 girls from western who tried out for the team but only two of us were successful."
Chloe's first game against the Dragons was the momentum builder she needed coming into an at-times intimidating environment. Accustomed to playing lock, Chloe has been solid in second row.
"It was very scary going there the first time not knowing anyone, but all the Panthers girls and coaches are so welcoming so that's really great also, the win was so amazing and such a great achievement," Chloe said.
Footy is in Chloe's blood. Her grandfather is Kim Patrick, legendary player with the Illawarra Steelers from 1983-1985. Chloe's mum Leesa Bergen said footy has always been part of the family makeup.
"Even as a toddler, her and her older brother... they'd be home and dressing up in footy gear and tying their ears up with duct tape and passing the footy. I wanted her to play soccer but there was no chance of that," Ms Bergen said.
"I'm so proud of her. It gave me goosebumps when she was running out on the field."
Sam Jones, Development Manager at Penrith Panthers said the team was committed to growing the female investment in the game.
"We've spent a lot of money and time and all the resources up in the area - all areas - and then just in the past sort of 18 months we just started to mirror that in the female space.
"We want to build programs up in the west and give as many girls an opportunity to come down rather than just going and you know cherry picking just one or two. We want to build stuff up there to create growth..."
The Panthers will take on the Bulldogs in round three of the Tarsha Gale Cup in Penrith on February 17.
