Wagga touch football prodigy Vienna Randal used to keep a photo of Wagga gold medallist and rugby sevens star Alicia Quirk on her fridge at home.
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Now, she’s one step closer to emulating her idol.
“I had a newspaper article on Alicia on my fridge for ages because I wanted to play for Australia like her,” Randal said.
“It was there for ages but it got a bit tatty, so we had to get rid of it.”
Fast forward to May 2018 and Randal is close to donning the green and gold herself.
She is one of three Wagga touch football players selected in the Australian Touch Football squad set to trial on the Gold Coast this weekend.
The former Gundagai Tiger will trial alongside AKW Jets team mate Rhiannon Podmore for a place in the Australian U20s while fellow Jet Sophie Crouch is preparing for a tilt at the Australian U18s.
It’s a chance of pace from league tag but Randal is excited at the challenge ahead.
“I used to play a bit of league tag but the travel became too much and I really wanted to focus on touch,” she said.
“I’m just so excited to get a chance this weekend, it’s going to be great.”
The trio share a close bond after starring for the AKW Jets in their Wagga Touch Football grand final win over Young Guns.
Crouch scored a first half double and Podmore set up the match-winning try in the 4-3 thriller while Randal claimed player-of-the-match honours after a stellar performance.
The win marked an incredible three-peat for the Jets in Wagga Touch Football and put all three players on the map of national selectors.
Now, they’ll get the chance to prove their skills on the biggest stage on offer.
Podmore will be featuring in her second Australian squad and is already relishing the thought of making her mark.
“I made the squad back in 2016 and it was an amazing experience to train with everyone, especially for a country girl,” she said.
“So it was really exciting when we found out we made the squad this time around.”
Podmore is eligible for the U18s squad but has been chosen to trial with the U20s – a testament to her footballing abilities.
“The girls and I have been selected for a reason,” she said.
“I reckon we’ll go well.”
Around 30 girls in each age group will train at the Gold Coast through May before national selectors choose players for mixed and women’s Australian teams.
Selected players will compete at the National Youth World Cup in Malaysia in August.
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