Jillaroos co-captain Kezie Apps is “feeling fresh” and ready to lead the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII team on Sunday after a missing most of the NRLW season with a PCL injury.
Apps suffered the injury in Wests Tigers loss to the Roosters in Round 3 but has been working hard on her rehab and took part in a full training session as part of coach Jess Skinner’s squad who will head to Papua New Guinea on Friday.
“I'm feeling really fresh and so motivated,” said Apps, who earlier this week was also named to lead the Australian Jillaroos alongside Ali Brigginshaw for the Pacific Championships.
“I've been training pretty hard over these last six-to-seven weeks since I did my injury and was pretty shocked to be honest to be called in and be part of the mix.
“I'm honoured and so grateful to get another opportunity just to play some footy and be back in training and doing all that sort of stuff.
“I'm feeling really good.
“It was my first actual proper run today; part of the group and tackling and everything like that, proper training, so it was really good and my knee pulled up so sweet, so I'm so excited.”
Apps' leadership will be key to helping the side focus in what is always an eye-opening but rewarding tour overseas for many rookie players, with Skinner highlighting how the experience of a Prime Minister’s game will help keep an already competitive selection process for the Jillaroos remain high.
Alongside game veterans like Apps, the majority of the side are emerging talents like this year’s NRLW Rookie of the Year winner Kasey Reh and players new to the game like Eels youngster Rory Owen.
“The Prime Minister's team has always played a pathway role for us in the Jillaroos, but this year, as the competition's gotten stronger, the pressure’s put on the top team (and) this has really turned into our tier two team,” Skinner said.
“We're looking forward, and these young girls play a pivotal role in that, so it’s a great opportunity to come in and work from those Jillaroos who have already played, learn the Jillaroos way and our values, what we stand for and then transition nicely over the next couple of years.
“Kezie and Loz [Lauren] Brown, Shaylee [Bent] and Chappo [Jaime Chapman], they all play that role in helping these younger girls, and they're really excited, enthusiastic.
“A lot of tears of gratitude and just really excited to have the experience with Papua New Guinea as well.
“They've heard a lot about it and I think they're most excited to get there.”
While it was an unexpected call-up for Apps to join the squad this week, she is no stranger to the concept and was in the inaugural Prime Minister’s side who travelled to PNG for the match in 2017.
The opportunities and pathways for women in league have expanded considerable since that time in both Australia and Papua New Guinea, but the excitement of representing her country remained the same for Apps.
“I was a part of the very first one, a long time ago in 2017, and I'm just grateful to be here and to be able to play alongside these young girls coming through and a few of the ones who I've played with before,” Apps said.
“It's exciting to be able to play with girls that I've never played with before and to see the young girls coming through and the talent that we have for the future, especially in the Jillaroos spots, is really exciting.”
