THE Queanbeyan Whites women's side may not be able to field a team in next year's ACTRU women's rugby season after being hindered with injuries this season and pending changes to the competition.
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They were given no hope of defending their 2013 rugby union women's title in suffering season-ending injuries to seven players, forcing them to forfeit two games. They finished third overall on the ladder, making the semi finals, but were forced to forfeit that match, ending their already horrific season on the worst note.
It was a shame for the star-studded women, boasting the likes of Australian stars in Nikki Stanley and Shellie Millward, as well as ACT representatives in Carly Hill, Kelly Goodwin, Stephanie Stewart-Jones and Rebecca Maher.
They had also won the 2012 women's division, but with Millward out of action with her Australian commitments, as well as Stanley being sidelined with a hamstring injury all season and ten other players from last year's grand final side not returning to play, season 2014 became a shambles.
"We started the season with only 17 players, and we've had six or seven injured throughout the year which have been season ending injuries," said team captain Maher.
"It was disappointing, but there wasn't anything we could do about it."
With most other clubs also struggling to put women's teams on the field consistently this season, the ACTRU could change the structure of their women's competition to better suit lower player numbers.
One option could be reverting back to playing a seven-a-side competition, which was last played in 2011, but Maher said this could detract a lot of players who prefer playing under normal 15-a-side rules.
"You cut a lot of the girls out of the game in sevens...you're effectively losing eight forwards and seven backs in a team, but that's the direction the ACTRU seem to be moving in with the women," said Maher.
"But some other girls love sevens...it's just something that needs to be weighed up."