Maitland women’s rugby star Synetta Manns has wasted no time getting back up to speed with the sport she loves.
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After missing almost the entire 2017 season after busting her ACL, Synetta played just one club game for Maitland this year before gaining selection in the Hunter representative side which played in the country championships in Campbelltown in May.
So impressive was the 19-year-old in her return from a nine-month injury layoff that she was last week named in the NSW Country Women’s 15-a-side merit squad.
Manns, who plays in the centres, admits no one was more surprised than she was at her selection.
“I was more focused on not getting injured, so I was pretty surprised to see my name on the list,” she said.
She said returning to the field following reconstructive surgery on her knee wasn’t only a physical challenge, but a mental one.
“It was more mental – I knew the knee felt strong, but mentally I was a bit hesitant until I got out there and got tackled and got my first hit up,” she said.
Hunter came second in the country championships, winning one match and drawing two others, including one against eventual winners Illawarra.
Although this is her first time being selected for country, she’s no stranger to the representative scene.
It’s the second time Manns has represented Hunter, the first coming in 2016. A year before that she made the NSW under 17s sevens team in what was her first year playing rugby.
The all-round athlete is also no slouch with the willow, making the open women’s team that played in the national cricket championships this year.
Asked about what attracted her to rugby, Manns said “the physicality”.
“I grew up playing netball but I got bored of it and wanted to learn something new. With rugby, I like the pace of it, the game is always moving,” she said.
Although a merit side, Manns said she’d now have the opportunity to partake in training and tournaments with the country team.
Her commitments haven’t ended with the Hunter squad either, with the rep side due to play a touring Fiji team on June 16.
She said the growth of the women’s game in recent years made it an exciting time to play rugby.
“There’s a lot more opportunities now,” she said.
“I’d like to see how far I can go with it.”
- In other rugby news, Maitland Blacks Isaac Ulberg and regular 2018 first grader Ben Woods have made the NSW Country Colts side.