Narrabri’s Ruby Clayton is excelling in rugby just 18 months after switching to the sport thanks to some words of encouragement from a Super Rugby W star.
Fourteen-year-old Clayton has recently returned from state representative duty in rugby union and is gearing up for an upcoming tour to Japan with the Australian Raptors squad.
“I’ve been playing rugby for about a year and a half now. I started in 2023. Martha Harvey actually got me interested in playing rugby just by saying I’d be a good player.”
Harvey, who is also a Narrabri local, is a current member of the Waratahs Super W squad who took out the championship against a strong Fijian Drua team earlier this year.
Prior to her switch to rugby, Ruby was a talented track runner, and was one day approached by Harvey who recommended her to try out rugby.
“I went down and watched a game… it was just the Narrabri junior Blue Boars playing on a Sunday… and then I just fell in love with it from there.”
Despite rugby being commonly understood as a game that is difficult to pick up, Clayton says that the rules and nuances of the game were relatively easy to understand.
“It all came pretty quick actually. For my first ever training session, I had a coach from the Blue Boars sit me down and talk me through everything, and from there I just pretty much got it straight away.”
Clayton eased into the game, and in her first year of playing was quickly picked up by the Central North representative team. Ruby says that while there was a noticeable lift in the skills required to play at a higher level, she was still able to thrive and enjoy the new challenge.
Clayton’s coach suggested that she trial for the Australian raptors squad, and in January this year she went down to Sydney for trials.
The Australian Raptors Academy’s main focus is to “provide an enriching rugby experience to participants,” and to give opportunities to aspiring young athletes who want to improve their skills, build resilience, immerse themselves in other cultures and play rugby in vibrant locations outside of Australia.
Ruby says that although she enjoys rugby, access to the sport is something that could be improved.
“You have to look for (rugby) to find it out here, whereas in the city it’s pretty much just there in front of you.”
Clayton says that this lack of access also extends to junior girls’ rugby league.
“Out here, there’s nowhere you can play league except for NIAS. There’s only league tag, and from league tag they don’t go anywhere (in terms of development pathways).”
Despite these perceived boundaries, Ruby says that she’s grateful for the opportunities that both codes of rugby give her, not just on the field, but in her own personal life.
“Socially, I’ve made so many friendships just from all of these teams and it’s going to be good in thirty years’ time to look back at them and go ‘I remember playing rugby with you’.”
As she looks towards the future, Ruby hopes to pursue a career in the NRLW.
“I really want to try and get an NRL contract,” she said.
Given that the NRLW announced salary reforms back in 2023, with projected growth in salary each year, an NRLW contract is likely to be far more feasible than a Super W contract by the time Ruby is able to play professionally.
If Ruby were to start playing after 2027, the minimum wage that she could earn in the NRLW is $50k plus sponsorships. Meanwhile, the Super W will only grant 35 players – across all clubs – with contracts between $30k and $52k.
Regardless of what the future holds, it’s clear that Ruby is enjoying her rugby, and that she values the connections, resilience and personal growth that playing both codes has given her.
During her recent trip to the Australian All-Schools championship is Queensland, Ruby had the privilege of representing her state on the national stage.
“The skill level was a bit more advanced, but yeah it was definitely a different feeling.”
“It was an amazing experience, I learned so much and I can definitely not wait to trial again.”
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