Esteemed street artist Sharon Billinge will create a mural of Maggie Moloney, the country’s first female rugby league player, a former resident of Redfern.
Maggie used to live at the corner of James and Morehead streets and worked in the tailoring department of David Jones on Marlborough Street.
Her mural, which will be 4 metres x 3.5 metres in size, will decorate the back of the St Vincent de Paul site along Cleveland Street. It will join the mural of Taleena Simon of the Sydney Roosters.
According to the City of Sydney, this latest creative project is for the “increased visibility and understanding of the history, stories, and character of the city.” It’s also a recognition of the contribution of the First Nations community in Redfern as the pioneers of women’s rugby.
Who is Maggie Moloney?
In September 1921, a 15-year-old girl led the Metropolitan 21 to victory at the first women’s match that took place during a shortened NSWRL men’s season. She was none other than the younger sister of Souths player Mick Moloney, Maggie.
Maggie wowed a crowd of over 20,000 spectators at the Agricultural Ground, with the press describing her blistering performance “like a radiant racehorse.” She also impressed the people when she clinched a win during a splint race, the pre-game entertainment.
Her win came at a time when rugby was deemed too “rough for girls” but about 50 female rugby players fought for a chance to show that they could also play the game. The men’s rugby league in Australia was nearing two decades by then and the decision to have the girls play became a public debate.
Meanwhile, Moloney’s mural unveiling was supposed to coincide with the 100th year of the women’s rugby league in 2021 but plans were pushed back due to the pandemic crisis.