Taneka Todhunter has been labelled "special" and a role model for young girls in the western area as her push for a first Indigenous All Stars jersey continues.
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The former Dubbo CYMS, Macquarie and Wiradjuri Goannas star enjoyed a stellar 2023 and after making her NRLW debut for Parramatta she earned a place in the extended All Stars squad.
She's currently working to impress coach and fellow western product Jess Skinner.
Trangie's Skinner, a former Western Rams coach, is the new leader of the All Stars squad and while she's proud of all the players in the mix for selection, even she admits she's got a bit of a soft spot for Todhunter.
"It's very exciting and also proud because you always want to see a western person in that team," Skinner said.
"Regardless of whether you had something to do with it or not, you just want to claim it and say you know them. They're from our region so I'm so proud to see them succeed."
The extended All Stars squad trained together in December and Skinner and her coaches will select the final 18-player team before the clash with the Maori All Stars at Townsville on Friday, February 16.
Skinner said Todhunter is "definitely" in the mix after an unforgettable 2023.
After making her NRLW debut for Parramatta against Canberra on August 20, the hard-working hooker played a further three times for the Eels.
She more than held her own, particularly with her tenacity in defence, and the performances earned Todhunter a place in the Prime Minister's XIII squad which took on Papua New Guinea.
"If you're looking for someone in the region to aspire to, she's the one that I'd put up there," Skinner said.
"Her dedication to the game is relentless ... she's such a special kid, too.
"She's the epitome of what our western women have to go through.
"She's been a part of the Western Rams program since she was 17 years of age and she's someone who's had to relocate and sacrifice a fair bit, particularly being in Sydney by herself without a family."
It was 2020 when a 17-year-old Todhunter had to travel to Sydney to play for the Roosters Indigenous Academy side in the Tarsha Gale Cup.
Her rise since has been closely followed by many in the western area and Skinner knows as well as anyone how much work has been put in.
"I'm really proud of her and hopefully we do see her putting in that (All Stars) jersey," Skinner said.
"That would make not just her family and people in Wellington and Dubbo proud, but it will make the whole region proud to see her achieve that goal.
"It's been awesome to watch her journey but the work has been done by her.
"She definitely deserves all the accolades and rewards that come her way in her career and I see it being a long one because she knows what it takes to be at the elite level."
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior sports journalist for Western NSW, covering all that's happening in in Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and everywhere in between. Contact me at nick.guthrie@acm.media
