THE call went out from the Lithgow Storm players to watch the dummy-half, but those calls could not stop Freya Hodges from scoring her first try of the season for the under 11 Bathurst Panthers.
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She picked up the ball and burst through the arms of two would-be tacklers to cross the line, that effort making Panthers' Group 10 Junior Rugby League semi-final win on Saturday extra special.
"It was pretty nice," the 11-year-old said. "Yeah, I just went for it."
Hodges also booted a conversion for the under 11s as they posted a 40-12 win and qualified for the grand final, but that's not where her successful weekend ended.
On Sunday she was part of the under 13 Panthers league tag side that won its semi-final against St Pat's 22-6.
"It's pretty exciting to be in two grand finals. I played soccer last year but I came back. I like them [tackle and tag] the same," she said.
"I feel very privileged to play with the 13s, they are a great bunch of girls and I feel very blessed.
"I like playing with the boys, it's pretty fun and I like tackling."
Hodges is now looking forward to playing two Group 10 junior grand finals in as many days this weekend. Her under 11 Panthers will meet Cowra on Saturday, while the under 13s league tag side does battle with Orange CYMS Green on Sunday.
"I think we'll beat Cowra and yeah, it would be nice to beat Orange," she said with a cheeky smile.
Just as Hodges enjoyed scoring her first try of the year in the tackle competition, so too did her mother Rachel.
She has enjoyed watching her daughter follow in the footsteps of her two older brothers in playing tackle league for Panthers.
"She's always been amongst it and she loves it and it was great for her to score that try," she said.
"It was totally her idea to play, so I'm going to let her do what she wants to do. She just loves it.
"The boys look after her out there, you can see they are there with her every time she goes in for a tackle. But she's been around the boys all the time so she's used to it. She gets in there and she's not frightened to have a go."
While Hodges can go and play in the under 12s Bathurst Panthers tackle side next season and continue in league, she has another job to 'tackle' before then.
After the Group 10 Junior Rugby League grand finals she is planning to go on and play in the Panorama Platypi's under 13 development side.
They will play league teams from across the Central West and if Hodges finds herself in dummy-half with the try line in reach, you better watch out.
