Dark horse Allcorn appears out of thin air to lead her girls to victory

Watching Isla Allcorn command the field, you would think she was a seasoned rugby league player, not a 13-year-old hockey star.

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"This is my second rugby league game ever, of all time," she said.

Isla Allcorn (front row and centre) with her under 14 Vipers girls. Picture by Shannon Germon.

Backed by the cheers of family and friends, Allcorn ran onto Orange's Pride Park with confidence as the Vipers took on the Mudgee Dragons.

The young gun repeatedly stepped through Dragons defenders and missed very few tackles, guiding her side to a dominant 48-4 victory.

Calling Allcorn a multisport star isn't an understatement, it's a spot-on description for the Nashdale local.

Hockey has long been her main stage, where she represented NSW in the Open Primary team and at the National All-Schools Championships, captaining several sides and collecting numerous awards.

But her standard extends far beyond the turf; she was named Junior Girl Champion at Manildra Swim Club and took home Best and Fairest honours for the under-12 Orange Thunder touch football team.

Now turning her attention to rugby league, she kept it simple when explaining what drew her to the game in the first place.

"I just like the tackling and the aggression on the field," Allcorn said.

"I always wanted to try it (rugby league), but my dad never let me, he was scared of me getting hurt."

The Allcorn family are all smiles after Isla's incredible match with Vipers. Picture by Shannon Germon.

Surrounded by smiles after the match, Allcorn credited her teammates for inspiring her to give league a go.

"I know most of the girls through touch so it's been really fun to play with them," she said.

Despite the shadow of NSW Rugby League's recent decision to axe the competition next season, the strong sense of community between the Vipers and Mudgee teams shone through.

Allcorn admitted adding full-contact rugby league alongside hockey and touch football was daunting, but the constant support from the Vipers made her feel right at home.

"It's been scary but having all the touch footy girls has been really good," she said.

"All of the girls direct me where I need to go, and they know I'm new."

Raised on the orchards of Nashdale, Allcorn comes from a sport-crazy family and now attends Scots All Saints College in Bathurst, where her mother also works. They've fully backed her rugby league venture, crowding the sidelines at Waratah Sports Ground with signs and posters to cheer her on.

"Footy is big on my dad's side but mum's side has always been more hockey," she said.

Allcorn is undoubtedly a rising junior star to keep an eye on, and while hockey remains a big part of her sporting life, she quietly admitted rugby league has already won her over.

"I think I prefer this (rugby league)."

There's only one round left before the semi-finals in the Western Women's Rugby League competition, and there was a mixture of wins and losses across the board.

Over in Coonabarabran the Castlereagh Cougars defeated Woodbridge 28-12 thanks to a great team effort.

Cougars prop Ivy Toomey and lock Clancy Larkin both crossed for a double to widen the gap, before Bria Brookman and Paityn Coxsedge added another of their own.

Woodbridge's Taylor Tarrant responded with her own double followed by Ryleigh Bowd adding another four to keep them in the game.

In Parkes at Pioneer Oval, there was one standout from Panorama Platypi.

Young prop Tayha Clarke dominated the field with a five-try haul, leading her team to a huge 42-6 victory over Lachlan District.

Halfback Peppa McWilliam-Gibson continued the momentum to cross for a double, with Alisa Cufurovic adding her own. All the extras were slotted seamlessly by Cufurovic and Emerson Denley who snatched five out of nine successful conversions.

Lucy Fairley came off the bench and was the sole try-scorer for the Lachlan side.

Vipers v Mudgee Dragons: Forfeited.

Panorama Platypi 24 defeated Lachlan WRL 18.

Panorama Platypi 30 defeated Lachlan WRL 12

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