TOUCH TIMES: Emilee Cherry shows her touch skills while playing for Fairholme. Kevin Farmer EMILEE Cherry will get back to her roots this weekend.
Cherry has had a busy year representing Australia across the world in women's rugby sevens, but this weekend she will get back to the sport where she first rose through the representative ranks.
The dual international will lead the South-West Swans as they defend their open women's title at the Queensland Touch Association State Championships from today.
South-West will take on the best teams from across Queensland at Carrara Sports Grounds on the Gold Coast until Sunday, and Cherry knows she will have to make a quick transition back into the non-contact sport.
"It's a lot easier going from touch to rugby rather than coming back to touch," she said. "Attacking it's the same but defensively it's a bit harder to get back into."
And while the 20-year-old travelled to eight different countries with the sevens series earlier this year, she more than happy to again play with touch team mates she grew up with.
"I'm so lucky to be able to come back and play touch with a great bunch of girls," Cherry said.
South-West may go into the state championships as defending champions but Cherry feels their south-east Queensland rivals will again underestimate the young and talented Swans squad.
"Last year we had the dream year; our touch team from Toowoomba winning the Brisbane competition and then winning the state champs," Cherry said.
"(But) I think the city girls see us as being from the country. I think we're still underdogs."
Sixteen-year-old Alice Rathie will also be part of the South-West squad and she has been touted as a player to watch at the state championships.
The Swans start their campaign tonight against Brisbane City Cobras.
South-West is also sending down men's and women's under 20s teams as well as women's 27-35 years squad.
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