Her captain Tallisha Harden pinned her as one to watch before the game and Jakiya Whitfeld didn’t disappoint, running in four tries as the Australian side proved too strong for the PNG Orchids in their Prime Minister’s XIII match.
Her performance, that of her fellow outside backs Teagan Berry and Cassey Tohi-Hiku in particular, put the cherry on top of a strong performance from the Australian side and also presented Harvey Norman Jillaroos coach Brad Donald with some thinking to do before naming his squad before the upcoming Pacific Championships.
Match: Jillaroos v Kiwi Ferns
Week 1 -
home Team
Jillaroos
1st Position
away Team
Kiwi Ferns
2nd Position
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
"That was the idea of bringing in people like Jakiya Whitfeld, Teagan Berry; all the backline basically; we know they're good players,” Donald said.
“We’ve got some incumbents in the (Jillaroos) side at the moment who are killing it as well, so there's a lot of pressure there; but there’s an say old saying pressure equals diamonds and I think the performance of all of the girls [tonight] was great.
“We also we get to sit back and watch the other girls run around for their clubs in finals, so we're in a really good place.”
A former Rugby 7s talent, Whitfield has overcome plenty of setbacks, including missing the Olympics with an ACL injury, so to come this far in the game has been a special achievement.
The West Tigers back has found a new home in league, debuting with the Knights last year where she played two games and has bounced back from her injury concerns, showing all her speed to help her side to a 56-4 win.
Speaking to NRL.com after the Prime Minister's XIII match, Whitfield said she appreciated the opportunity to be part of the Australian representative system.
“It's a pretty overwhelming experience coming off the back of our NRLW season only finishing two weeks ago to coming to an international tournament and being able to pull on the green and gold jersey with the PM’s team.
“The group's been amazing, we've clicked so well and it’s been such an amazing experience and I don't think I envisaged it to be like this at all.
“Coming in, I wasn't really sure what to expect; I couldn't have envisaged it to be like this.
“They're so welcoming and instill so much confidence in each and every one of us as a player and so much belief.
“And I think especially at this level, you need that; you need people to get behind you and want you to see you do well, both players and staff.
“I get super emotional speaking about it, I think the word that comes to mind is overwhelming, the support and belief that they've given us to go out and perform like we did.
“It's crazy, but I'm pretty stoked to be here.”
The match had special significance for Whitfield, with her father Mark a member of the Australian Defence Force who has been deployed to PNG three times.
The ADF rugby league sides were also part of the two-day festival of rugby league, with the women’s side playing a curtain-raiser to the two men’s and women’s matches on the Saturday.
“My dad was deployed to PNG three times, in Bougainville and Port Moresby, so for me, it was a pretty full circle moment,” Whitfeld said.
“The sacrifices that he made, himself and for our country to safely come over here and play, it was pretty special to be able to do that.
“It's a big impact that the connection of Australia and PNG and the sacrifices that, particularly the ADF, have had to create safety in PNG to allow us to come over and safely play and have these tournaments and these games.
"And for my dad to be a part of that and then for him to allow for me to come over and Australian teams to play over here is pretty cool.”
