27-05-2025
Laura Rafferty eager to carry ‘wholesome' Rangers experience into NI duty and stun Poland
The Northern Ireland defender can list pluses both on and off the pitch since moving to Rangers Women in the summer of 2024 – and there has also been a benefit for her family, too, who she left behind when her time with Southampton came to an end.
The biggest boost in terms of her football career, though, is that Rafferty now feels much better placed to perform at international level.
That feeling also comes with a warning that if Nations League opponents Poland take their eye off the ball and are already looking ahead to July's Women's Euro 2025 Finals, Northern Ireland are ready to take advantage.
Rafferty joined up with Tanya Oxtoby's squad immediately after helping Rangers lift the Scottish Cup. That meant celebrations were somewhat muted, but there was also a sad feeling as she didn't want her first season with the club to end.
'Yesterday, we'd just won the Cup and everyone is feeling happy, but I was sad, too, not to be coming away with Northern Ireland but because after camp, it's then the break,' said Rafferty, who celebrated a Cup double after narrowly missing out on the League title.
'It's the furthest that I've been from home, but probably the most I've felt at home.
'I've felt so much love from a lot of people at the club, and the way that we're treated is very professional.
'That gives us the stage to go and perform and be as successful as we can be – and I will say that I am looking for the treble next year. I've not let that go.
'I've settled in really well in Scotland. I actually answer FaceTimes to my family; compared to when I was in Southampton, they could never get in contact with me.
'I feel very wholesome in terms of being in Glasgow, and that's a massive credit to the club for making me feel like that because while I was in my home town prior to that, it didn't feel that way if I'm being completely honest.'
Having a happy Rafferty can only be good news for Northern Ireland, especially ahead of a game she describes as 'massive'.
Tucked just three points behind the Poles in their Nations League group, Northern Ireland still harbour ambitions of overtaking the Euro 2025-bound team and earning automatic promotion to League A, especially as the feeling that the 2-0 defeat in Gdansk back in February was an opportunity missed.
'I would say it's absolutely up there,' said Rafferty in terms of the magnitude of the game compared to any since Northern Ireland themselves were at the Euros in 2022.
'Going into this game, knowing what it means, knowing what we can take from the game and being confident going into it, I think it's massive.'
The one thing Northern Ireland haven't quite managed to achieve while enjoying unprecedented success is taking the scalp of a big nation.
With Poland weeks away from their first major tournament, now is the perfect time to tick that box.
'We can do it. I believe it. We believe it,' said Rafferty. 'I know as a player, they probably will have the Euros in the back of their mind.
'Elite professionals tend to be able to multitask in terms of thinking about different things, but if there's any moment in the game that might be a special moment for us, we want to take that, and if that is a bit of complacency or anything with them heading to the Euros, then I'm not shy on jumping on that at all.'
