First, there was the Country Championships, which she won. Then, there was the National Championships, where she came second.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's been a good year for Gab Suckling.
The 23-year-old plays for the Yass Magpies' Katrina Fanning Shield side, and recently returned from the Women's National Championships, which were held in Burleigh from May 30 to June 2.
She played for NSW Country, who were defeated in the final by NSW City, 34-4.
Despite losing the final, Suckling was thrilled to have been named at all for NSW Country, and said that she was "shocked" at her selection.
"I wasn't expecting it at all, but I was very excited obviously."
Suckling's selection in the side came off the back of her impressive performances for the Riverina Bulls in the Country Championships, who won the final 28-14 over the North Coast Bulldogs in April.
Having kicked four conversions in that grand final, Suckling was consistently one of the most impactful players of the tournament.
She was one of four Riverina Bulls players to have been selected in the NSW Country squad, and said that she wasn't sure what to expect from the tournament.
"I knew the standards were pretty high, knowing that the NSW Country side last year won the whole thing," Suckling said.
"I knew the coach and that wanted us to play well. It was great, I was able to learn so much."
The experience as a whole was invaluable for Suckling, and she said that her education included facets of the game which were new to her.
"I learned so much on and off the field, the girls up there I played against, they know so much about their footy," she said.
"We did welfare sessions and stuff, so it wasn't all football. It was stuff that we did off the field, so I took a lot from that.
"There's too much that I learnt up there, it was great."
Suckling was not the only Yass representative to make her way to Burleigh. She was joined by Eilish Winbank, who played for the Studdon All Stars in three exhibition games at the championships.
In a recent Facebook post, the Yass Magpies Women's Rugby League side said that they were "looking forward to having them [Suckling and Winbank] back on the paddock for the Magpies!"
