Piper's story

“I thought I’d end up being a labourer.”

Piper Duck grew up in the Riverina town of Tumut in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains – hunting, adventuring, playing sport. She excelled at basketball. But her school didn’t go beyond Year 10.

“I didn’t think I was intelligent. I didn’t think I’d go to uni. I suppose at that point in my life I didn’t have a lot of understanding of the world outside a country town.”

But a teacher who believed in Piper helped with a shift in mindset and, along with two scholarships and her family’s unwavering support, the course of Piper’s life changed dramatically.

Last year, at the age of 22, Piper Duck became the youngest ever captain of the Australian women’s rugby team, the Wallaroos, just a year after her international debut.

She’s a pioneer of the sport – one of the first female players to become semi-professional after Rugby Australia introduced paid contracts for women in 2023.

She’s also in the midst of a Bachelor of Business.

Piper Duck is the kind of person young people – and her peers – look up to. She’s a leader on and off the field.

“Piper is an amazing young woman who has an exceptional talent for connecting with others and having a positive impact on everyone around her,” outgoing Wallaroos coach Jay Tregonning said after her appointment as captain.

“She represents the very best that we look for in young people today – she is kind, empathetic, curious, eloquent and a keen listener.

“She is also fierce, determined and relentless.”

Yet without the scholarships, none of her achievements would have been possible, says Piper, who juggles her rugby and work commitments with a degree in business administration thanks to a four-year accommodation scholarship to live at Macquarie’s Dunmore Lang College.

“The scholarships changed everything,” she repeats. “The Macquarie scholarship is the only reason I am where I am now. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to play rugby and go to uni. There are so many factors which could have been so different if it wasn’t for the scholarships.”

By the age of 15, Piper had aspirations of a career in basketball, but knew she’d need to leave Tumut to move forward.

“The school I was at only went to Year 10. If I wanted to get into college basketball, I needed to find another school, which meant moving away.”

But financial constraints and limited possibilities in nearby Wagga Wagga meant looking further afield. After a missed opportunity in Canberra, Piper’s mum secured her an interview at Sydney’s Barker College. Although it was too late for a mainstream scholarship, Barker found a way to secure the impressive teen, and it was here she developed into a promising rugby player.

“Little did I know mum and dad paid for that first semester before the scholarship kicked in. Mum didn’t tell me until I graduated – it was a huge financial commitment for them. So that was beautiful and it really changed everything for me.”

Piper explains her family is her ‘why’ – particularly being a role model for her younger brothers and sister.

“They’re my biggest supporters and are why I do what I do,” she says. “I want to show them the sky’s the limit; that anything is possible if you have the right mindset.”

It was during an enforced year of reflection due to injury that Piper was able to crystalise her purpose and hone her leadership skills.

“You never know what’s going to happen – there are going to be ups and downs but it’s how you come back and keep pushing.”

While playing rugby is Piper’s priority for now, she knows she’ll continue to exploit her leadership talents into the future, and says combining rugby with a business administration degree was “an absolute no-brainer”.

“With all that I’m learning through rugby and the opportunity to lead – the networking and communication skills, the people I’ve had the honour of meeting, and being in that community of women, it makes sense to get a degree in business administration. They complement each other and will be my future when I can no longer play.”

Studying and living on campus has had many benefits for the elite athlete – including being able to (occasionally) live life as a ‘uni student’.

“Apart from the incredible support network I’ve developed through Dunmore Lang, living there allowed me to make great friends, including my best mate, and really experience uni.

“The support I’ve received through the scholarship has been amazing with both uni and rugby, including massive flexibility when I’ve had to be away.”

Piper Duck is set for greatness on the world rugby stage, but she is certain it wouldn’t have been possible without those life-changing scholarships.

“You don’t realise the impact you can have on someone’s life. Please don’t take what you have given me and others for granted – a scholarship isn’t just a financial boost; it can change the whole future of an individual and their community.”