Life’s pretty good for Holli Wheeler at the moment.
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Less than two years after taking up the sport of rugby league, the Newcastle and NSW Country representative is on the verge of making her State of Origin debut for the Blues and set to announce a deal for this year’s inaugural NRL Women’s Premiership.
“I think I’m having the best few weeks of my life,” Wheeler told the Newcastle Herald. “It’s all happened pretty quickly.”
Wheeler, a 28-year-old mother-of-two, will soon reveal which of the four clubs – Dragons, Roosters, Broncos or Warriors – she has signed with for September’s historic competition.
“I have been approached by a club, have signed a contract and they will release the finer details after Origin,” she said.
It comes at the same time as her surprise call-up for Friday night’s stand-alone women’s Origin fixture between NSW and Queensland at North Sydney Oval.
The catalyst was Wheeler’s performance in NSW Country’s title win at the National Championships on the Gold Coast earlier this month.
Now, following almost a week in camp with the Blues squad, Wheeler says it has yet to actually sink in.
“At the start of year I set myself a goal to make the country team and anything past that was a bonus,” she said.
“I worked really hard to get myself in a good position with country and I was fortunate enough to get a call from Crossy [NSW women’s coach Ben Cross]. Even being in camp it still doesn’t feel real. It’s a dream come true.”
Wheeler has put in the hard yards – literally.
She has become particularly familiar with the almost four-hour, 350-plus kilometre round trip from Old Bar to the Hunter after first joining North Newcastle last season and staying on with CRL Newcastle in 2018.
And while relocating further south is potentially on the cards one day, Wheeler has begun to “reap the rewards” from all those long journeys.
“Football [tackle] for girls up our way was basically non existent,” she said.
“I played league tag, oz tag and touch footy, but last year Kylie Hilder [country teammate] said she was going down to play for Newcastle in this women’s competition.
“I said ‘get me in. Who do I have to talk to? I want to be part of it’. She gave my number to Mick and Bec Young [organisers] and the rest is history. I’ve loved every single second of it.”
Wheeler, who has been named on the Blues’ bench, expects her wife Ashleigh and two sons Leo and Jake to be in the stands along with parents Craig and Rowena as well as brothers Jake and Corey. Kick-off is 7:30pm.
Meanwhile in Newcastle Rugby League, recent wet weather has seen this weekend’s grand-final replay between Western Suburbs and Macquarie transferred from Harker Oval to Cessnock Sportsground on Sunday. A decision about the availability of Townson Oval, scheduled to host Souths and Lakes on Saturday, is expected on Friday.
