Foundational Hawkettes player, Georgia Smith, has just celebrated her 150th game with the team.
Georgia’s twin sister, Clare celebrated her 150th game three weeks later.
The twins are just two of the Hawkettes’ star-studded team, and Georgia says it’s been a good year for them.
“We’re sitting on top of the table and we’re just ahead of Canberra Bears by one point,” she says.
“We’ve won all of our games, but had a draw against Bungendore earlier in the season.”
This year, the team has seen an influx of players with at least 15 to 18 players rocking up each week. According to Georgia, it’s played a big part in their rapid improvement.
“We’ve got a lot of new girls who have come in to the squad as well,” she says.
“They are very talented, so that’s been really helpful to pick up from our premiership win last year.”
The Hawkettes are truly on fire, after taking home a 28 nil win over Crookwell from their weekend match.
A larger score than anticipated, Georgia says it could be in part due to Crookwell’s sudden drop in games this year.
“They beat us at home last year, so we knew that we had to go out there hard and fast, because they always do come out like to for us,” she says.
The team’s hard work paid off, with the Hawkettes scoring 28 nil by halftime. During the second half, the team’s defence was solid, leaving the match as the winners without a single score from Crookwell.
Outside of her time with the team, Georgia works as a teacher at St Mary’s in Young, and says she’s truly living the life.
“I’m at the top end of my 20s,” she says.
“Clare and I have both been doing pretty well this season in maintaining our injuries. Clare had a bit of a slower start, and she had to sit out the first couple of games, but we’ve both been battling torn hamstrings.”
Despite this, Georgia says they’ve been keeping on top of their health and are doing what they can in rehabilitation.
Georgia and Clare aren’t the only Hawkettes playing it serious for their health and wellbeing, with several of the girls now taking on soccer training four times a week and a game on Sunday in addition to their footy games/training sessions.
“A lot of our younger girls that are coming through are quite fit and it’s really good to see at training,” says Georgia.
“They’re now overtaking where I’m at with my fitness and what I can push myself to do, which I’m loving and enjoying [the challenge].”
Entering League Tag at 18, Georgia says she reckons she’s at the “back end of it”, but keeps herself in the midst of the game, making sure she continues maintaining her health outside of footy season.
“It is hard to have two weeks of doing nothing and then trying to push yourself. You’ve got to keep your body going,” she says.
“[Going to physio] hasn’t just been about what I’ve injured, it is maintaining everything else as well.”
The Hawkettes have a bye this week before they go up against the Canberra Bears (currently sitting in second place).
“A win against them would be good,” says Georgia.
“It would separate us by three points out on top and then we go against Boorowa, Bungendore and UC to finish with.”
The men’s Harden Hawks find themselves in a similar position as the women as the undefeated team with the men’s Canberra Bear team sitting on second as well.
“If we can knock over Canberra Bears and Boorowa for both [teams], we should have a pretty strong chance of finishing first and getting a home semi, which would be nice because we haven’t played a final at home since about 2016,” she says.
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