A FORWARD who will run the ball hard and tackle all match but who also has the kicking game and play making skills of a half - it's little wonder Zarlia Griffiths has been named in the Western Rams open women's squad.
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Griffiths was one of the leading players for the Panorama Platypi side which finished the recently completed Western Women's Rugby League spring competition in fifth.
She ranked highly in tackles made and metres gained, but also acted as one of the best creators in attack for the Platypi and filled the goal-kicking duties.
That came after she made her Western Rams debut earlier this year, the 19-year-old saying the prospect of once again wearing the green and white served as a big motivator.
"It definitely gave me a taste and made me want to better myself to make sure I could get in the side again," she said of that initial Rams experience.
"This time a starting spot would be good, I was in the starting side the first time around, so keeping my spot there would be good."
Griffiths faces plenty of competition for a starting spot in the Rams pack - fellow Platypi Haylee Lepaio amongst those named in the 35-player squad.
They will train over the coming months, beginning with a two-day camp in Bathurst on December 7-8, and vie of a spot in the final team which will compete at the 2020 Country Championships.
But what Griffiths has on her side is her versatility.
"It's handy having some ball skills, being more versatile and that, I think it's a good thing to have under your belt," she said.
"I like second row a lot because you can ball play a little bit, but then just let the halves tell you what you need to do rather than me thinking of what to do and telling everyone what to do."
Griffiths, who has seen her brother Noah progress through representative pathways to play for Western and New South Wales and earn a Melbourne Storm contract, is delighted she now has the chance to play the sport herself.
She has been impressed with the growth of the Western competition thus far, but admits she would like to see it extended beyond the five regular rounds and finals format.
"I hadn't played before this, only way back in under 6s," she said.
"I really enjoy the chance to do it, playing out here is really good rather than having to travel to Sydney. It's good they are bringing it out to the bush and giving country girls a go.
"Each side had really good numbers this year and it's definitely improving with talent too. We had a lot of soccer players come in, they got a taste of it this year and liked it which was really good.
"[But] I think it would be good having a bit of a longer comp, maybe start it straight after the league tag or something like that. It would be good to let it grow and have more sides in it down the track.
"It's not a lot of footy at the moment, you sort of just get into it and then it all stops."
