Laura Rafferty: How defender is a 'natural' leader for Northern Ireland

Laura Rafferty led Northern Ireland out at Windsor Park for the first time against Montenegro

"It's a very proud moment, and sometimes being thrown in the deep end makes you express yourself a bit more."

A year ago, by her own admission, Laura Rafferty was uncertain of her place in Northern Ireland's squads, not just the starting team.

But after leading Northern Ireland out at Windsor Park as captain for the first time in February's play-off with Montenegro, her importance under new manager Tanya Oxtoby could not be any more clear.

Marissa Callaghan is still very much Northern Ireland's skipper, but when the 38-year-old midfielder has not been on the pitch Oxtoby has turned to the Southampton defender with the armband in recent matches.

Since former Chelsea assistant Oxtoby was appointed in August, the 27-year-old Rafferty has established herself as a key component of Northern Ireland's defence, starting the last five matches in a row.

Along with Callaghan and Rafferty, Northern Ireland are not short of leaders with Simone Magill, Lauren Wade, Demi Vance, Nadene Caldwell and the injured Sarah McFadden and Rachel Furness all having more than 50 caps.

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However, as Oxtoby explains, her relationship with Rafferty goes back to the defender's time at Bristol City in 2020.

"We worked together at Bristol and she was going through a really difficult time at that point," Oxtoby said.

"The character that she showed at that point, in terms of her application and willingness to want to do every single little thing right on and off the pitch, to be able to have difficult conversations and be able to move forward in a positive way, for me that gave me a really good understanding of who she is as a person.

"I feel like Raff and Marissa complement each other really well, with their leadership styles and what they bring to the group.

"We have got so many leaders in this group. To have Raff lead from the back when Marissa is not on the pitch, it's just a natural thing for me."

While Callaghan and Rafferty have worn the armband, Oxtoby added that all the experienced players have a leadership role to play in the development of her young squad.

"I know what I'm going to get from Raff. Even in a bad game I know what I'm going to get, it's still a seven out of 10. I know I'm going to get the effort, the application and the communication.

"It's also about the things she does off the pitch, in terms of a high-performing environment.

"We've a really good group of maybe five or six more experienced players, who bring that to the fore so the younger players know what the expectations are. Raff is one of those."

'A massive honour'

Rafferty, speaking ahead of Northern Ireland's Euro 2025 qualifying opener with Malta, said leading the team out at Windsor Park in February was "a massive honour" and something she will always remember.

"Leading out the girls that we have and the squad that we have, there's no better feeling," she said.

"For me, it's about being brave in the next few games and being a leader on the pitch.

"I'm not always the loudest person but I always try and put my best foot forward. If we need solutions on the pitch, how can I fix it and things like that."

While saying she wasn't the loudest, Rafferty's voice was beginning to break as the press conference progressed, leading to Oxtoby joking she should save her voice.

Laura Rafferty joined her hometown club Southampton in 2021

Despite the "different role" of wearing the armband, Rafferty said she was still leaning on the other experienced players in the group as she continues to learn.

"We have such a diverse squad in terms of what everyone brings and it's a fantastic group that we've got," Rafferty said.

"For me, it's a different role. If you look at a year ago, sometimes I was in camps and sometimes I wasn't.

"I feel like I'm doing well. Hopefully I can be a comfort for people on the pitch, if they do need some answers they can look to me.

"We've a lot of knowledge in the team as well and I'm not shy in asking questions.

"Our culture at the minute is fantastic and we want to keep expressing that on the pitch and off the pitch."