Coady Makes it to the TopLast spring Olivia Coady (18) played her first two test matches for the Black Ferns. Since she started playing rugby for Marist Albion at the age of seven - because she “quite fancied one of the boys in the team” (also seven) - the highly focused former Villa Maria student has had her heart set firmly on playing for her country: “I remember going on a Young Leader’s Conference in year 8,” says Olivia. “Jason Gunn was speaking, and he told us not to say ‘I want to’ but ‘I am going to’. I told myself that I was going to play for the Black Ferns over and again and then I backed it up with action,” she says. Coady’s determination to succeed became apparent to everyone at Villa when, in 2005, she rallied her peers and the staff to go to the Oamaru tournament and where - to everyone's surprise but Olivia's - the team ended up as runners up. Nothing symbolised the spirit of that group more than the pre-match chanting for which they became known: “We didn’t have the most skilful team at that time but we probably had the most passionate and together unit – we really wanted to win and the chanting was a big part of that,” she says. When asked about influences in her rugby life, Liv Coady is quick to mention the CRFU Academy as a key factor is turning her from a good player into an exceptional one: “Getting the best coaching and mixing with the top players was an awesome experience that made all the difference,” she says. And her goals for the next couple of years? “I’d like to make the squad for the World Cup in England in 2010,” says Olivia. Locationhttp://www.crfu.co.nz/main/index.cfm/1,538,2974,0,html Copyright © CRFU 2013 |
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