THE Lake Cathie-Bonny Hills Raiders JRLFC made history on Sunday, debuting their first ever open Ladies League Tag side.

Earlier this year, club committee members began entertaining the idea of entering a senior ladies team in the Group 3 Ladies League Tag competition.

Club President Benny Smith took on the challenge, and with the support of a team of dedicated helpers, began the mission of recruiting players from far and wide.

While it was a rocky start to the pre-season, with low numbers at training sessions, several newcomers and girls from the U16 squad soon stepped up to join the ranks.

On Sunday, the ladies went head to head with an experienced and highly skilled Taree City side.

Despite a 30-14 loss, coach Benny Smith described the Raiders performance as “gutsy”.

“I am incredibly proud of what these ladies achieved,” he said.

“Just stepping onto the field was a monumental achievement for our small club.

“For a team that had only one run together before this game, these ladies showed a ton of guts.

“I can’t fault their performance at all; there were no errors in attack, and any defensive lapses were simply due to sheer exhaustion.

“They played much of the first half down a player, and 90 percent of the team had never played a game in their life, yet they pulled a performance like they had been playing together for years.

“We can’t wait to see more from our mighty Raiders ladies.”

Charlotte Turner and debutant Gabriella “Sorro” Sorensen, were acknowledged by their teammates for standout performances.

By Kim AMBROSE