LAST year Madison Marmion was a revelation in her rookie season with the Panorama Platypi and if Saturday was any indication, she set to have a similar impact for Bathurst Panthers.
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Marmion was one of the best for the Panthers' league tag side at the Bathurst Nines tournament, the talented teenager brining attacking spark and defensive determination to her performances.
Given she is still learning the game - as was the case when the Platypi hooker was named the joint under 18s best and fairest in the 2020 Western Women's Rugby League competition - Panthers coach Jess Hotham is keen to see what lies ahead for Marmion.
"I don't think she's played tag before, but bloody hell she's an asset. She was just in everything. She's just naturally gifted," Hotham said.
"It was her first tag games for us and she was right there in everything.
"That's why I'm so excited about this team and what we can do when we gel together. When we spend more time together I'm excited to see what comes."
The Panthers squad Hotham had for the nines tournament at Jack Arrow was in the main made up of under 18s and they had not previously trained together as a unit.
Though unable to win a game, they were in their matches against Mudgee and eventual runners-up Dubbo CYMS before going down 8-4.
Panthers also showed promise in their last match against league tag heavyweights St Pat's.
Hotham's side started that semi-final the stronger of the two sides - Marmion making some penetrating runs - before the Saints launched a long ranger counter-attack off the back of an error.
Panthers lost that game 14-0, but it was certainly an improvement on their opening performance of the tournament when going down 20-0 to the Saints in the rain.
They literally threw themselves into defence, giving Hotham the sort of effort she wanted.
"From our first game, every game today we picked up and improved little bits and that last game all I could ask for they gave me, they gave me 110 percent," she said.
"If we can improve like that in one day, there's a lot of potential there and I'm excited about the year.
"I said to the girls that I didn't care if it wasn't pretty, but if they put in that 110 percent effort I'm happy and they did. They chased everything, they dived and we landed in the mud.
"Even when we didn't make tags we chased it, the effort was always still there, even right until the end the effort was there.
"If you've got effort, then you'll do well.
"We can take big positives out of that. We had a penalty and had a set of six on their [Pat's] line and while we dropped the ball then - little mistakes cost us - it showed that we could still be in it."
