Two-year-old Penelope Morgan has made her mark on the history of the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys, securing the club’s first ever NRLW membership.
The Morgan family are no strangers to shaping the future of the North’s great club, with dad Michael a former Cowboy Premiership-winning five-eighth, Captain and Members Player of the Year.
Cowboys Chief Executive Jeff Reibel said Penelope would forever be recognised in the club’s history books as the first person to officially step up to 2023 Cowboys NRLW membership.
“The release of our NRLW membership packages is the ‘pointy-end’ of many years of effort to grow our grassroots women’s program to a level of professionalism which has allowed us to establish an NRLW squad in the North,” he said.
“To welcome the daughter of a club legend as our first ever NRLW member symbolises a ‘handing over of the baton’ from the previous generation to the next,” Mr Reibel said.
“It connects our long and rich history, built on the shoulders of club greats such as Morgo, with our next chapter which will see every young girl in North Queensland given a clear pathway to play at an elite level of rugby league if they wish to do so.”
Following player signings in coming weeks, a full-strength Cowboys NRLW squad is expected to kick off at the season opener in July 2023.
In a year when Mr Morgan would return to his roots as Assistant Coach of the Townsville Blackhawks, he said his daughter’s guernsey as the Cowboys first NRLW member was a ‘full circle’ moment.
“We have an incredible rugby league community here in the North, with tremendous talent at all levels, so it’s important we do everything we can to create pathways for these young athletes to compete on the national stage,” Mr Morgan said.
“Our family is so honoured to be part of this new chapter of the Cowboys, with Penelope’s membership representing a future of the sport where up-and-comers of all genders will have a real shot at rugby league glory,” he said.
“We hope Penelope’s NRLW membership will begin a groundswell of support from Cowboys members and fans everywhere who’ll step up for membership.”
Cowboys NRLW memberships are now on sale for $85, or $45 as an ‘add on’ for current NRL Cowboys memberships of any category.
The NRLW Cowboys 2023 season draw will be released in coming days.
For more information visit cowboys.com.au/nrlw
