The Warringah Rugby Club, the Warringah Rats, are proud to be a 'top to bottom' Club from Juniors to Colts, Women, Seven's and Grade/Seniors. They're about rugby and community.
That’s why there’s always a HUGE cheer that goes up when their teams work on their game and build momentum that sees the WRC in the top of the tables across all grades towards the end of each Season.
That cheer went up last Saturday, August 9, as the Warringah Ratettes won the 2025 Chikarovski Cup after their win over the Hunter Wildfires Blue team at Concord Oval. A big contingent of Ratties headed west to support the girls to make sure support was LOUD.
Icing on the cake was Ratette Sharni Smale being named Grand Final Player of the Match
Sharni, co-captain of Australia's team at the 2016 Olympics that won the inaugural gold medal in the sport, has been a Season-long inspiration to her fellow team mates, supporting and encouraging younger players, and topped that off last weekend by being all over the GF game and scoring two tries for Warringah Rugby Club’s Ratettes.
On Wednesday August 13 the Ken Catchpole Medal Shute Shield Awards were announced with the Ratties again on fire with Warringah’s Wes Thomas taking out the highly coveted Ken Catchpole Medal and Coby Miln winning the Roscoe Faye Award - Highest Point Scorer.
Warringah’s First Grade coach Josh Holmes was Top 3 Coach of The Year and Robbie Miller - Top 4 Charter Hall Community Spirit Award.
Hooker Wes Thomas has been consistent across the season for the Rats and was honoured for his efforts with the 2025 Ken Catchpole Medal after helping the Rats to second on the Shute Shield ladder. Wes has not missed a match in the past two Seasons and scored six tries across this Season.
Warringah's Coby Miln secured the Roscoe Fay Trophy as the highest point scorer in the competition for the second consecutive year, having made his Super Rugby Pacific debut earlier in the year for the Western Force.
The pair will be pivotal to Warringah’s game against the Hunter Wildfires in the Preliminary Final today, Sunday August 17, at Pittwater Park, Warriewood.
In fact this weekend all of Warringah’s remaining teams are playing in the 2025 Semi-Finals.
Sue Barry-Cotter, President Warringah Rugby, asked if she was pleased with the girls GF win, said:
‘’I am so very proud of our Ratettes. They are the most successful team we have in our Club of 8 teams. They had won 8 grand finals in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2017 and now 2025 making 9 grand finals in total. The head coach Nick joined our club last year and this year his assistant Tim joined. The girls fitness has improved with their S & C J Train and I am sure this has an impact on their performance this year. Their manager Erin has been with Rats for around 30 years. Erin played herself through those successful years in the early 2000s and has remained involved with the club.
‘’The players themselves are an amazing group and very close, supporting each other and playing for each other. They are also very supportive of the club itself and the girls are often on the sidelines when the grade (men) and colts (under 20 men) play.
I have no doubt some of the girls will be at Rat Park this weekend to cheer on the grade and colts teams when they play in the semi-finals.’’
Reflecting on Warringah Rugby Club’s Season, Sue said
‘’It has been a great season, so far, for our club with all our teams in the semi finals. ‘’
‘’We are also very grateful to see the female friendly and accessible change rooms build progressing and thank the council and the state government for supporting the growth of women’s sport and providing accessible facilities in our area.’’
In 2020 the council resolved to deliver female friendly change facilities at Pittwater Rugby Park, home of Warringah Rugby Club, The Rats. The addition will see the delivery of female friendly change rooms to supplement the existing two change rooms located within the grounds. The new facilities will include a lockable shower and toilet cubicles to ensure dignified inclusion, along with accessible toilet and shower facilities.
The project is funded by the NSW Government in association with the council, under the Female Friendly Community Sport Facilities and Lighting Upgrades Grant Program and is on track, despite all the rain, to be completed on schedule.
Coming up at Warringah Rugby Club
Rats First Grade and Second Grade at the home ground this afternoon - August 17 - NB: you need to be purchased via Shute Shield for the finals series. Head to shuteshield.rugby/tickets/pittwater-rugby-park to get yours
- Presentation Night - Friday 5th September
- U20 Waratahs v W/Force - 13th September 2025
- 2025 Annual Golf Day - Friday 21st November
Schedule and Standings 2025 Season SRU Premiership
- 1st Grade Shute Shield
- 1st Colts W McMahon Shield
- 2nd Colts Shell Trophy
- 2nd Grade Colin Caird
- 3rd Colts Bill Simpson Shield
- 3rd Grade Henderson Shield
- 4th Grade Henderson Cup
Ratettes 2025 Team
Players
Emily Robinson
Louise Sheridan
April O’Neill
Mackenzie Lawler
Rachel Balcomb
Taj Heald
Grace Gillies
Sharni Smale
Tatum Bird
Claudia Meltzer
Harriet Neville
Poppy Mayhew
Jade Sheridan
Bella Duncan
Paris Ingegneri
Georgia Harvey
Viviena Hingano-Sime
Sophie Davie
Georgie Fryer
Rosetta Kinahoi
Nicole Nathan
Sarah Evans
Annika Mounstephens
Support crew
Head Coach: Nick Brown
Assistant Coach: Tim Donlan
Manager: Erin Morton
S&C: James Brodie
Ratettes being presented with the Kerry Chikarovski Cup by the lady herself
Sydney Women’s Rugby Union
Sydney Women’s Rugby Union celebrates 30 years of competition in 2025. Starting in 1995, Sydney Women’s Rugby Union started a regular competition in Sydney following the first international women’s game between Australia and New Zealand in 1994. Sydney Women’s Rugby Union was formed separate to the Sydney Rugby Union who were managing the men’s competition. This provided independence to focus on building the women’s game in Sydney and provide opportunity for non-SRU associated clubs to compete in the competition.
This independence remains today, with an active board, multiple competitions for 7s, 10s and 15s rugby plus clubs from all over NSW competing with a continued focus on the growth of female rugby and giving all players an opportunity to compete.
The 2025 Sydney Women’s Premiership Rugby competition will now formally be titled the Chikarovski Cup, in honour of one of women’s rugby’s supporters and influencers, Kerry Chikarovski AM. Formerly named the Jack Scott Cup, the Chikarovski Cup has been around before with the last iteration occurring in 2019 as a NSW representative competition. The Chikarovski Cup will now be won by the premiers of the Division 1 Sydney Women’s Premiership competition.
In 2025, 10 teams competed in the Chikarovski Cup with many foundation clubs competing and a number of new clubs joining the competition for the first time. The competition will kick off on April 12 and continue through until August with the Grand Final date and location still to be confirmed. 7 teams will also compete in a second division competition, focused on the development of women’s rugby players. A number of Division 1 teams will play their second grade team in this competition along with a number of new clubs entering the Sydney Women’s Premiership competition for the first time. Division 2 kicked off on April 12 also, with one early game on April 5 with Eastwood playing Randwick as part of their men’s first round match day
The teams competing in the 2025 Sydney Women’s Premiership are as follows:
Chikarovski Cup
- Briars*
- Campbelltown Harlequins
- Easts
- Gordon Gazelles
- Manly Red
- Southern Districts
- Sydney Uni Blue
- Two Blues
- Warringah
- Wildfires Blue
Division 2
- Eastwood*
- Gordon Gazelles
- Manly Blue
- Petersham
- Randwick*
- Sydney Uni Gold
- Wildfires Red
*denotes inaugural season in competition
Photos of the Ratettes grand final taken by and courtesy Debbie Benefield, Representative Team Manager at Warringah Junior Rugby Club, and Sue Barry-Cotter, President of Warringah Rugby Club - a few more of their celebrations of the Warringah Ratettes 2025 Grand Final WIN below.
