The Philippines team proved too good for Greece during the latest Women’s Rugby League international game at Lidcombe Oval, Sydney, this weekend.
It has to be noted that Greece went into the game with five girls playing Rugby League for the first time.
“We also had another three that haven’t played in two years and a couple of players that only met the rest of team on the day,” Greek coach Stuart McLennan said.
The game was also marked by a historic moment for Greece when Christine Tsougranis entered the game and followed in her father’s footsteps to become the first father-daughter duo to play Rugby League for Greece.
Despite the fact Greece started on the front foot, Philippines won with 38-0 during a game that took place in very hot conditions.
The scored opened after 12 minutes of action with Jacky Lyden crashing over to score under the posts.
Natalie Webb’s goal followed five minutes later and Janine Jamieson added her second to make it 12-0. Stefanie Thomas and Tynia Wells were the next to score.
Greece went close to scoring through Ebony Tsoukas, but it was the Philippines that added another try in the 51st minute through Cassandra Koch.
The Philippines finished up with three more tries – Webb in the 60th minute, Pia Galon in the 69th minute and Takiah Buchanan in the 73rd minute – after the Greek girls let the ball bounce into the in-goal.
Philippines’ coach Jake Kamire praised his team’s defensive qualities and thanked Greek Rugby League Australia for hosting the game, while McLennan said he was proud of the Greek team.
“The Philippines played very well today and were too good. It was not the result we were looking for but Greece has just begun our journey to assemble a group of Australian based players to combine with our domestic ladies and compete for a World Cup spot,” McLennan said.
“We will keep working and improving throughout the year.”
