Paige Penning was at a loss to describe her feelings upon hearing that she had been selected in the Brumbies squad for the 2019 Super W series. 

Although she is a very talented loosehead prop, Penning’s inexperience in the sport led her to believe that she would struggle to make it out of the training squad. 

“On last Friday we had our last training with all the girls from the squad,” Penning said. 

“I said goodbye to everyone and said ‘thanks for helping me’ and added them all on Instagram because I thought I’d never see them again. 

“So I said my goodbyes, and then turned up again on Monday.” 

With three seasons of experience under her belt, Penning was selected in the training squad last November, and has since undergone a grueling regime and loved every second of it. 

“We were training from the first week in December, and we were doing three nights a week,

“It was meant to be for two hours, but usually it was closer to two and a half or three hours. 

“It was a combination of gym sessions, a bit of weight lifting and running tech, and sprinting and ball skills and defence/offence drills.

“It’s been a whirlwind of training.”

Despite the intensity of the training, Penning was insatiable in her quest for knowledge about the game and continually sought advice wherever she could get it, particularly from the more experienced members of the squad. 

“[Louise Burrows, who has played in four world cups] started off playing the position that I tried out for,” Penning said. 

“I’m always trying to match with her or one of the other girls who have played before in a similar position just to help me with the development of my skills.” 

While Penning is in no doubt that the coaches see her as a work in progress, her enthusiasm and thirst for information are pushing her development along at a rate of knots. 

The next step is to test what she has learned out on the field. 

Penning’s nerves have been calmed by the team building exercises that the coaches have instigated to help the girls connect. 

“Monday night they actually got us all in a circle to talk about what our fears are,” Penning said. 

“The general consensus around the room was fear of letting down the team … [the coaches told us to] turn it into energy, turn it into excitement because we’ve got something great happening here.”

Although no date has been stated for the start of the Super W season, it is expected to kick off in February.