in Australia, was dropped for three fixtures in New Zealand. Early career In March 2002, Farrell was selected for New South Wales to play in the Under-17 interstate championships. She scored 26 runs at a batting average of 26.00 and took six wickets at a bowling average of 16.66. New South Wales won every match up until the final, where they collapsed for 60 to lose to Queensland. In January 2003, Farrell was selected for the Under-19 team and played in five matches. Her best performance was to score 49 and take 4/14 in a 123-run win over Tasmania. She took only one more wicket to end with five at 19.00 and scored 103 runs at 25.75. Farrell returned the following year and took 4/1 from three overs in the first match as New South Wales defeated Tasmania by ten wickets after dismissing them for 24. She then took 4/19 against Western Australia and ended with 11 wickets at 9.54 and scored 62 runs at 31.00 in two matches. Domestic debut Despite the strong performances in her final year in age group state cricket, Farrell was unable to break into senior ranks until late in the 2006–07 season. She made her debut for New South Wales in a closely contested match against Western Australia, the sixth of eight qualifying matches in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL). After taking 1/19 from her six overs, she came to the crease in the closing stages of the match as New South Wales' tail struggled to reach the target of 134. Farrell was run out for two, but her state held their nerve to scrape home by two wickets. She was omitted for the penultimate match of the season before taking 0/13 from four overs in an eight-wicket win over South Australia. New South Wales, the defending champions placed second and qualified for the finals series hosted by Victoria. Farrell retained her position in the team and was a key player in the first match, taking 3/27 from her ten overs as the hosts were dismissed for 136. New South Wales struggled and Farrell came to the crease and scored one not out and was present when the winning runs were scored, sealing a one-wicket win. The rest of the series was not so dramatic. Farrell took one wicket in each of the two remaining matches; Victoria won the first by eight wickets