Her 27th birthday might have ended in injury but Wests Tigers captain Botille Vette-Welsh says she's in no doubt of making her representative return after being selected to take part in next week's Prime Minister's XIII game in Port Moresby.
Vette-Welsh injured her calf in Thursday’s captain’s run on the eve of playing her last game for the Wests Tigers in 2023 and didn't hide her disappointment to not feature in the team's final hit-out of their debut season – even with the prospect of a green and gold jersey on the line for her next Saturday.
“Not much of a present birthday – old age got me,” Vette-Welsh told NRL.com after missing Thursday's game against Newcastle.
“I was really gutted I couldn’t take the field for our last match. But it was a decision made with my best interests in mind.”
Chief among those is Vette-Welsh’s return to the representative arena after 18 months due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee in March 2022.
Vette-Welsh missed both the 2022 and 2023 Origin campaigns for the NSW Sky Blues and had to surrender her Jillaroos spot for last November’s World Cup during her injury absence.
But with her Prime Minister’s team selection, she may have the chance to secure a green-and-gold jersey once more for the two-Test series against New Zealand in October.
“I’m glad they [Wests Tigers medical staff] made the tough call because there was no chance I was going to rule myself out of our final Wests Tigers game," she said.
“But I’m certain I’ll be fine for the PM’s game.
“It was a massive shock to me – it caught me completely by surprise to be selected,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve played well enough this season to seal a spot in any rep squad. I was happy just to go about my club football.
“But it’s something I’m super grateful for. I’m so excited to pull on that jersey again no matter what. It’s always a massive honour.
“Play me in any position I don’t care, as long as I’m on the field.”
Effusive at the best of time, Vette-Welsh downplays her return to rugby league. In her seven games for Wests Tigers, she has scored a try, had six try assists, 16 tackle-busts, three line breaks and remains elusive with every touch of the ball.
Her game know-how also went a long way to helping the Wests Tigers leave their mark in their inaugural season with four of their seven losses this year coming by a converted try or less pointing to the improvements required in 2024.
Bo Vette-Welsh big game first up
“It was a massive learning curve, being such an inexperienced side,” Vette-Welsh said.
“We had high goals and dreams. Obviously when you come into the NRLW you just want to win the premiership.
“But we managed to build something nicely within the club. A lot of girls made their mark in their first NRLW season, so a massive opportunity for them.
“They now know they are definitely worthy of this standard.
“There are a lot of small fixes we can do for next year because there’s tremendous grit and fight in these girls.”
