A special time spent away at one of the more far-flung areas of Australia has helped the Harvey Norman Jillaroos form tighter bonds with each other ahead of their final Pacific Championships game against New Zealand.
Isabelle Kelly returns to camp this week fresh from a week off and spoke of the new appreciation and understanding of what it meant to be a Jillaroo after the squad spent the early days of their time together on Thursday Island.
“TI was unreal, I didn't really know what to expect and the people over there were beautiful people and accepted us so much and gave so much to us that we learned so much about their culture,” Kelly said.
“It was incredible.
"I don't think anyone realises how much the game means and how big the game is there and, and how many Jillaroos have also come from there.
“We've had seven girls come from the Torres Strait, so we're really proud to be able to learn about that culture.”
The team’s camp in Townsville before their win against the Kiwi Ferns provided another reminder to Kelly and the rest of the players about the impact they could have on young lives. The team met a young fan and her mother who had saved up to come and watch them play as a special birthday treat.
Weipa local Tahliyah Jawai, who recently turned 16, chose to celebrate her birthday by making the 15-hour trip from the far north of Queensland to Townsville – over 1000 kilometres – just to watch her favourite team play.
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After hearing her story and her support for the team, Kelly invited the young fan to come and watch their captain’s run.
“I am a big Jillaroos fan, I've been supporting these girls since I was 10 years old,” Tahliyah said.
“I grew up in a family of playing rugby league and I love these girls so much.
“We came all the way from Weipa, it took two plane rides to get here.
“I was really excited, over the moon, so speechless. I couldn't go to sleep last night after meeting these girls, it was the best birthday present ever.”
For Kelly, the positives of their hard-fought 16-10 victory were just as important as the impact they made off the field.
“I was saying to one of the girls that you don't really realise the lives you are impacting until they come up to you or they say something like that. So for me, that was bigger than the game,” Kelly said.
“I know all of us really want to do something for her and make it really special for her. And, we might not have played our best out there, but I'm sure she was absolutely proud and just really excited to be a part of our group.
“I love playing footy and I love that I can help inspire people off the field.
“I think for me now, I’m a bit more of a leader within my teams and that's my goal; to make sure that I'm leaving the game in a better place and really getting these girls on board to play rugby league.”
Playing their first game since a 50-point thrashing of the Kiwi Ferns in last year's World Cup final, the Jillaroos were far from their best against their cross-Tasman counterparts in Townsville – completing at just 67 percent and missing 37 tackles – and will be determined to improve heading into the Week 3 clash in Melbourne.
"That's the beauty of having another game; we can go back and rewind and look at what we can be better in,” Kelly said.
“But massive credit to the Kiwis, they have come a really long way in just 12 months.
“We knew they were going to have a good team and I think we've just been really weak in some areas. We could have scored a few more but the good thing is we can go back and I know we're going to be 10 times better next time.”
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