Commonwealth Games reward for 'hard-working' Sirens star Emma Barrie

Emma Barrie says she has been working hard to get a chance in the Scottish Thistles, and intends to seize that opportunity at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Strathclyde Sirens star Barrie, from Stonehouse, is going into her first Games after being selected as part of Tamsin Greenway’s 12-strong Thistles squad.

They start against Australia on July 30, with Group A games against Jamaica, South Africa, Wales and Barbados to follow.

Barrie, 20, knows it’s going to be a challenge, but is looking forward to it.

She said: “I’m really happy.

“It has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and I’m so happy that I’ve been selected.

“This is my first one, and it’s so good that it’s just down the road in Birmingham, which means that family and stuff can come and see, which is another positive.

“I think, as a team, we’re placed ninth in the world, so we would like to rectify that, but we’re in quite a tough group, so we do know that’s going to be really challenging.

“We just want to put out performances that we’re proud of.

“It’s pretty rare to get an opportunity to go to the Commonwealth Games, so it’s about seizing that opportunity as a team and enjoying every minute of it, really.”

One of the younger members of the squad, Barrie was working away in the background before getting a crack at both Sirens and Thistles.

She said: “I’ve been with Thistles for six years.

“I got my first cap at the World Cup in Liverpool in 2019, so I’ve only been actually playing for them for three years.

“But I’ve been behind the scenes, like training partner and stuff, for a few years before that. That was my second season at Sirens – technically my third, because in my first season I was training partner, but then got pulled into the