IPSWICH Girls’ Grammar School (IGGS) student Relna Hosea is making a name for herself, her home town and her school in rugby league.

Relna was recently selected in the Under 17 Queensland City squad.

After a week-long training camp, the City team beat their Queensland Country opponents 40-6 in Redcliffe.

“I felt so good and really proud when I was selected for City,” Relna said.

“Last year when I was younger and was less experienced I didn’t get in the team. That was upsetting.

“I knew this year was the year to move up to a higher level to play.”

Relna's selection followed her performance in the Queensland Schoolgirls team earlier this year.

The state side played in the curtain-raiser to the men’s State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium.

Relna seized on the important representative opportunity that gives talented players like Relna a pathway to future Queensland teams and the National Rugby League Women's competition.

“It was a really big achievement for me and made me realise I have come a long way with rugby,” Relna said.

The IGGS boarder started playing rugby league for her local club, Mulga Junior League, five years ago. The team is part of the KRL in the Torres Straits where Relna is from.

She works to balance her busy training and representative schedule with the demands of her Year 11 academic load.

“Boarding has a great support system for me when I leave for rugby tournaments,” Relna said.

“It can be hard sometimes to make all my training sessions and games when I have assignments and school work to do. I usually just squeeze everything in to get my work done before rugby.

“It is a lot of hard work to be playing at a higher level, which means putting one hundred per cent into any rugby game I get to play. You never know if there will be scouts coming around or other clubs or rep teams recruiting girls.”

Looking ahead, Relna is excited to see how far her rugby league journey can take her.

“I want to be able to represent my family, putting my island home on the map and show everyone how much talent girls have,” she said.

“I want everyone to know that once upon a time I was just a little girl that attended IGGS and managed to pursue her rugby dreams.”

Relna hopes to continue her sporting journey professionally, with the Brisbane Broncos or Gold Coast Titans.