Super W Player Profile Georgia Page

Tue, Feb 5, 2019, 10:00 PM
Rebels Media
by Rebels Media
Photo: Rebels Media
Photo: Rebels Media

The 23-year-old is the newest addition to the women’s squad, after deciding to put her sevens career on hold.

The confidently spoken centre, who gained notoriety after breaking her nose in a women’s rugby seven’s game in the USA, is back in Australia to try her hand at 15-a-side a rugby.“I just love rugby,” Page said.“It’s not so often you find something you’re so passionate about so why not stick with it.”

Page’s journey to becoming one of the more recognisable faces in Australian women’s rugby started when she was 17 years of age.After being a track and field athlete, tennis and basketball player growing up, the Blue Mountains native decided to try her hand at rugby by attending a talent identification day in Sydney.

It was there where she met her first coach who had a connection with the USA Rugby Seven’s organisation, who were looking to acquire more female players to  take up the growing game.The move resulted in Page acquiring a five-year scholarship to Lindenwood University in St Louis, Missouri.

However, Page only stayed a year, citing the inability to transfer her university degree back into the Australian employment system as a major factor in her decision to leave America prematurely.“It was a different world over there,” Page said.“The college degree over there wasn’t what I really wanted it to be and wasn’t easily transferrable back here in Australia.“But it was a great experience and something I’ll remember for a while.”

As she tried to continue her rugby pathway in Australia, Page succumbed to as many injuries in several years as some athletes may accumulate in a whole career.“When I got back to Australia, I was recovering from my broken nose and then in my first seven’s tournament, I broke my leg playing for the University of Queensland,” Page said.“I was out for eight to ten weeks, then started playing rugby again before I tore my meniscus.”

After surgery and rehabilitation to fix her knee, Page has now found some luck, having gone through two consecutive seasons of the AON Sevens injury free.And while she enjoyed her time playing rugby for the past two years in Queensland, Page made the move south to Melbourne after receiving an email from a former coach who notified her about the Rebels’ Super W trials.

Page was initially tentative about pursuing the opportunity but felt a move to the Rebels was something she ultimately couldn’t pass up. And although she has come into the Super W set up only a few weeks before the start of the season, Page has been welcomed with open arms.“I think it’s hard for any player at whatever standard to come into a team late, like these girls have been here since November, so it’s kind of hard to settle in the first two weeks,” Page said.

“Now though, I’ve settled in and the girls are really welcoming and they’re starting to get to know me and I’m getting to know them more, but I think it’ll be good when we have our first game together and build that respect for each other.”

Page has already built strong relationships with two stars of the Super W team in Meretiana Robinson and Georgia Cormick. Looking for a home for her and her dog, Cormick and Robinson came to the rescue.“I have a dog and I had to bring my dog down, so I asked Medz (Meritiana) if she knew anyone who had a house that would accept a dog,” Page said.

“She said funnily I have a dog and we need a new roommate, so it’s kind of worked out well.“They’re (the dogs) are like boyfriend and girlfriend, they get on so well,” laughed Page.One thing which would make Page just as happy is performing well in the Super W season to then be selected in the Wallaroos side.“I think Wallaroos 15’s would be epic,” she said.“(However) as long as I’m having fun and playing the best footy I can be, then that’s great as well.”

 
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