Thurso woman to captain Scotland in Aussie rules Euro Cup
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Thurso woman Lorna Murdoch will captain the Scotland women’s team in the Australian rules football Euro Cup championship taking place in Edinburgh on Saturday.
In Aussie rules the captain is not appointed by the team coach or manager but elected by the playing squad.
Aussie rules football has been described as like a cross between rugby and Gaelic football and the game is growing in popularity in Europe.
Lorna (37), who now lives in Edinburgh, first played mini-rugby at the age of six. She discovered Aussie rules six years ago and was immediately recommended to try for the national side.
Recently she captained her club side, the Edinburgh Bloods, to fourth place in the European Club Champions Cup – the highest place ever by a Scottish club, male or female.
The women’s Euro Cup competition will consist of three groups of teams in a round-robin series of matches with the top teams progressing to a knockout phase. There are 11 teams of nine players each (plus reserves) including Sweden, Switzerland, Wales and, for the first time, Poland.
Each match lasts 24 minutes. This shortened version of the game can be compared to a sevens tournament in rugby union.
Lorna’s parents live in Burnside, Thurso. Mum Fiona is a retired midwife who is now a volunteer gardener at the Castle of Mey.
Dad Bob is a retired paramedic who, during the summer months, works with Wick-based Caithness Seacoast.
