Sport
10 May, 2023
Double award win for Grace at Devils
Caboolture-based Grace Giampino’s rise in rugby league was evident as she won the Norths Devils U19 women’s player of the year and players’ player awards.
Although the team results didn’t go her way as she skippered the Nundah-based club in the Harvey Norman U19 competition, Grace’s form resulted in selection for the open women’s team in the BMD premiership.
Grace played a mixture of front-row, lock and second-row in her five appearances in the U19 competition and also scored four tries, including a double against the Tweed Seagulls.
Three clubs including the Devils didn’t taste victory in the seven-round U19 competition, and Grace didn’t play in the final round due to her promotion to the BMD premiership team.
When she took to the field for the Devils open women’s team at Logan Metro Football Fields, Grace became the first Caboolture Snakes player to play in the BMD premiership.
For good measure she scored a try in the dying stages, with the Devils going down 22-12 to the Souths Logan Magpies.
Grace made three successive appearances off the interchange bench for the Norths BMD premiership team, with the loss to the Magpies followed by a 32-16 win over Central and a 28-6 defeat against Mackay.
Grace finished the season on a happy note on the last Saturday of last month as she began at lock against Tweed, playing about 54 minutes of the 70-minute game which the Devils won 30-10.
Grace’s teammates in the BMD premiership included National Rugby League Women’s (NRLW) stars Ali Brigginshaw, Shenae Ciesiolka, Annette Brander, Jada Ferguson and Hayley Maddick.
NRLW players in other BMD premiership teams included Brittany Breayley-Nati, Stephanie Hancock, Destiny Brill, Shannon Mato, Romy Teitzel, Mariah Storch, Jasmine Peters, Rona Peters, Jessika Elliston and Zara Canfield.
