Sport
1 October, 2024
Teammates reunite to win Premiership
In high school, Abbey Markey and Morgan Prentice, led their Under 18 Toowoomba Mountaineers team to victory in the State Basketball Championships. This year, the girls reunited as teammates, not on the basketball court but on the football field, where they claimed their first Premiership in the Women’s Toowoomba Rugby League (TRL) competition.
Being on top of the ladder is not new for these girls who completed their Basketball Queensland season in November 2017 as undefeated champions.
Two months later, they continued their undefeated streak at the 2018 State Basketball Championships, defeating Townsville Lightning in the gold medal round, 47-34.
After graduating from high school, basketball was benched, and a well deserved break was in order.
Now in 2024, Ms Markey and Ms Prentice reunited as teammates to play for Highfields Eagles in the Women’s TRL competition, defeating three time premier winners Gatton, 28-20 in the grand final match.
“All year we believed we could go all the way, and we did it!” Ms Prentice said.
This is the first team (excluding Gatton) to win the Premiership since the Women’s TRL competition began in 2021.
Ms Markey played for the Eagles in 2023, and invited Ms Prentice to join her for the 2024 season.
Ms Markey plays hooker, and Ms Prentice is fullback.
Another local connection to the Eagles team, is their coach Wayne “Cabbage” Collie, who played rugby league for the Danes in Pittsworth during the 1990s.
Ms Prentice currently works as parts administrator at Hastings Deering in Toowoomba, and Ms Markey is a teacher aide at Pittsworth State High.
So what’s next for the sporting duo?
The Pittsworth girls are keen to return to the footy field next year, once more donning the Eagles jersey, to defend their title as 2024 Premiers.
