SHOAL Bay rugby sensation Zoe Smith has commenced the New Year with a significant milestone.
On Australia Day, fierce competitor Zoe received the Port Stephens Council Sportsperson of the Year Award.
The award recognises her deeds with the NSW Waratahs U16s rugby and NSW Combined High Schools touch football teams last season.
It is a huge honour for the 16-year-old Hunter Sports High School student, who dreams of one day pulling on a Wallaroos jumper for the Australian women’s rugby side.
Mayor of Port Stephens Leah Anderson acknowledged Zoe and other community champions at Port Stephens Council’s Annual Awards and Australia Day celebrations ceremony at Riverside Park, Raymond Terrace.
An excited Zoe told News Of The Area that she was “surprised and honoured” to receive such a prestigious award in her local community.
“It was a nice feeling just to be nominated, but to be named Sportsperson of the Year by my Council came as a big shock,” the versatile schoolgirl reflected.
Last year, the promising flanker etched her name in the Nelson Bay Junior Rugby Club record books when she became the first female Gropers junior to chalk up 100 matches for the club.
It was just one of a string of honours for the gifted Smith, who has represented her state in two different sports.
The fearless flanker spent six seasons as the only girl player with the Gropers’ junior boys teams from U8s, where she held her own as a tough-tackling forward.
So impressive was Zoe in those formative years that she earned selection in the NSW Primary Schools U12s boys rugby squad that finished with a top-four ranking at the 2022 championships in Wagga.
A feature of Zoe’s play is her copybook defence, ball skills and high work rate – traits she has carried into the girls’ rugby ranks over the past three seasons.
Smith juggled her rugby commitments in 2025 by playing her first season of women’s tackle rugby league with the South’s Lions club in the Hunter Junior League competition.
Showing her power, stamina and turn of speed as a strong-running prop forward and winger, Zoe helped the undefeated Lions claim the HJRL Women’s Tackle U16 Division One premiership with a 26–22 Grand Final victory over the Raymond Terrace Roosters.
The emerging flanker has also represented Hunter Wildfires and NSW Country over the past two seasons and is entrenched in the NSW Sports High School Rugby Sevens squad.
Zoe is a talented middle with the All Schools, Hunter Hornets and Nelson Bay representative touch football teams and played in the U20s division at last year’s NSW State Cup at Port Macquarie.
She was in action with the Neptunes U16 Girls at last weekend’s Peter Wilson Memorial Cup championships at Tomaree Sports Complex, leading the way with her natural ball skills.
The super-fit Smith is gearing up for another hectic rugby program in 2026 with the Nelson Bay Gropers U17s, Wildfires, NSW Country and NSW Waratahs, including the All Schools Sevens format.
By Chris KARAS
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