You wouldn’t have guessed it but blues hat-trick hero Andie Robinson was rattled with nerves before the Women’s Under 19’s State of Origin kicked off on Thursday night.
But it was a familiar picture hanging in the sheds of a ground steeped in rugby league history that helped the daughter of former Balmain Tigers first grade player Clint Robinson, go on to score a three-try haul for her state.
“I called dad before the game because I was struggling a bit with some nerves and he just told me that I'd done everything I could do to prepare and that I had to trust my ability,” Robinson told NRL.com after her starring performance for the Blues.
“I was still feeling a bit shaky but then I walked into the sheds and saw his face on one of the photos.
"It was such a nice feeling looking up at him and that’s when I relaxed and started to focus. I just knew he was with me every step of the way.
“It’s just nice to know Dad has done this before and understands what I’m feeling.”
Robinson nails an Origin hat-trick
The 19-year-old centre made an emphatic statement on her dad’s former home ground, scoring the opening try of the match in the first five minutes.
The Cronulla Sharks junior who went on to break Queensland’s hearts, scoring a hat-trick under the lights of Leichhardt, said she never dreamt of sharing her dad’s same dream and calling herself a rugby league player.
Robinson streaks away to open the scoring
“When I was younger I never thought it was a possibility to be playing rugby league so if you had of told me when I was younger what would happen tonight, I wouldn’t have believed you," the Blues centre said.
“I grew up watching and supporting rugby league and heard about the stories of my dad and watched my brother.
“I’ve always dreamt of playing a sport professionally, but I definitely didn’t think I’d be able to achieve that playing rugby league.”
In her final year of playing in the New South Wales pathways competition, Robinson has her sights set on an NRLW debut next season as the competition increases to an expanded 10-teams.
“I would definitely love to play a game of NRLW, I think that’s the next step for me so I’m working towards that,” Robinson said.
“I’m open to any opportunities at the moment, I haven’t made any decisions yet, I’ll play with whoever I think is best for me.”