Just 12 months after taking up the sport Orange’s Kira-Lea Dargin-Barsukoff is, incredibly, on the verge of becoming the first Indigenous women to play in America’s Women’s Football Alliance – the equivalent of the NFL.
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A long-time fan of American football, Dargin-Barsukoff suited up in her rookie season last year for the University of NSW Raiders after a years of playing and coaching rugby league, she featured in a number of Koori Knockouts through her career.
She was immediately picked in NSW’s extended squad as a development player and was then promoted into the Coyotes’ travel squad not long after.
Although injuries kept her to just a handful of games of wide receiver and running back in 2017, she showed enough potential to earn contract offers from both the New York Sharks and the Philadelphia Phantomz after sending out expressions of interest.
Although she elected not to take the two franchises’ offers up for 2018, instead preferring to represent NSW at the Australian Women’s Gridiron Championship – where the Coyotes finished fourth – she’s on track to make history next year.
She’s linked with the Sydney University Lions for this year’s Gridiron NSW Championship and after that she’ll head to New York.
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The Jarryd Hayne-style story is incredible enough in itself, but even more so when you consider the proud Aboriginal woman is a mother of three, and her success is coming just two years after beating throat and sinus cancer.
She was diagnosed in 2015 after returning from a trip to America, but made it through what she called a “very scary” ordeal in an interview earlier this year and is certainly now making the most of her life, and talent.
This year’s NSW Championship kicks off on Saturday, September 1.
Dargin-Barsukoff’s Lions take on the Northwestern Phoenix in round one, at Bateau Bay.
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Matt Findlay
I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media.
Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
