Shepparton Eagles Rugby League Club’s first season in 16 years keeps getting better.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
After the men’s side won the Goulburn Murray Storm premiership against Tumbarumba on Saturday, three stars from the women’s side have been selected for higher honours.
Deborah Fili, Nyeisha Lammon and Lainey Sutton have been invited to join the NRL Vic Country Women’s League Tag squad for the upcoming Combined Affiliated State Championships.
The tournament will be held in Melbourne from September 27-29.
Fili, also a committee member for the Eagles, said the trio was thrilled to represent the state next month.
“We are keen to upskill, learn more about the game and just enjoy the opportunity given to rep Vic Country,” Fili said.
“I’m excited to be playing alongside the best of the best from our league competition, but the nerves are definitely there too.”
Lammon and Sutton represented Vic Country in a “City v Country” style match earlier in the year, but for Fili, this will be her first time playing representative rugby in Australia.
The state coaches used two trial days in Albury to pick the representative side and Fili said the sessions were full-on.
“Selection was intense; everyone brought their A-game,” she said.
“We didn’t want to overthink how we played during the trials.
“We just played and trained how we had been all season; we just played simple footy.
“It was pretty good fun and we were notified that we had made the squad after the second trial.”
What does Fili think made these star Eagles stand out from the pack?
“Lainey’s strength would definitely be her speed,” she said.
“Nyeisha has really good ball skills and just knows when to run the holes.
“For myself, setting up plays.”
Fili said the Eagles trio had seamlessly fitted into the Vic Country squad because it played all its teammates at some point during the season in the Goulburn Murray Storm Premiership Women’s League Tag competition.
The Eagles women’s side had a successful 2024 season, reaching the finals before losing to Wangaratta in the semi-final.
As the captain, Fili said she was proud of the environment they had created at the Eagles.
“I really enjoyed our season, especially the culture we built,” she said.
“The support was unreal and the vibes were always high: training and game day.
“We have a lot of people wanting to jump on board (in 2025), which is good.