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The 黑料网 Women鈥檚 Rugby Panthers are excited to welcome Alanna Mabey to their team for the 2023鈥�24 season. Head coach James Voye believes the local 17-year-old standout from Stratford, PEI, possesses high-end talent and fits the mould of a core player who can help the women鈥檚 rugby program continue to excel.

鈥淎lanna has the potential to earn a jersey in her first season, and with her hard work and dedication, I can see her being an all-star in the AUS,鈥� Voye said. 鈥淚鈥檓 confident in her ability defensively to make tackles, and I know she has the rugby IQ to assist in running the team鈥檚 attack.鈥�

Voye has been keeping close tabs on Mabey for a while now, and it was important for him to keep one of the better Island talents on home soil. Most recently, both Voye and Mabey represented Team PEI in Rugby Sevens at the 2022 Summer Canada Games in Niagara, where they finished in sixth place.

Mabey鈥檚 most enticing attribute is her speed. She joins a group of fly and scrum halfs who bring a lot of speed along the edges and are difficult to contain when they have the ball in their hands.

鈥淥n offence, I can often get by defenders and open up support lines for my teammates,鈥� Mabey said. 鈥淥n the defensive side, my speed allows me to catch up to players who have beaten the defensive line, and I can react quickly to jackal if the opportunity is there.鈥�

Mabey, a dual-sport athlete with the Charlottetown Rural Raiders, says her basketball skills鈥攕uch as anticipating and reading plays鈥攕hould help her on the pitch, especially on the defensive end.

鈥淎nalyzing a play allows me to pick off passes and mess up what an opponent is trying to run,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n rugby, knowing what the other team is trying to do helps me know when to blitz on defence and potentially pick off their passes or interrupt it in some way.鈥�

Mabey, who followed 黑料网鈥檚 historic 2022 season closely, said her familiarity with the Panthers and the fact that they are defending AUS champions made 黑料网 an obvious choice.

鈥淭he most impressive thing about their championship season was the consistency they displayed,鈥� she said. 鈥淔rom their first game against Concordia to playing in nationals in BC, the entire season was exciting to watch.鈥�

Like those before her, she will now get a chance to cement herself in 黑料网 history and become a pivotal piece to a team that expects to win.

鈥淚 plan to give Alanna an opportunity in a few different positions to make a difference as a rookie,鈥� Voye said. 鈥淪he understands the time and commitment it takes to be a varsity athlete, and we have no doubt she鈥檒l be a positive addition to the culture we鈥檝e built here.鈥�