Two down, one to go on Kelly's October bucket list
The month of October has already delivered Isabelle Kelly an NRLW premiership with the Roosters and a try double in an 84-0 Pacific Championships rout of the Orchids, but there's one box left to tick for the champion centre.
After running in 17 tries against PNG, including 11 between them to wingers Julia Robinson and Jakiya Whitfeld, the Jillaroos head across the Tasman to face arch-rivals the Kiwi Ferns in the pivotal match of the tournament.
Kelly, who is now the Jillaroos' leading tryscorer with 16 tries in 14 Test matches, was blown away by the speed and power of her wingers.
“They’re incredible. I think as wingers you need to make sure that you can finish, and I think they both do incredibly well at that,” Kelly said.
“They're so quick, so strong and really back themselves which is what I love about having Robbo next to me on the wing.
Robinson's record haul
"You could give her a ball with not much space and she'll always back herself.
“So, yeah, I'm loving having them both on the team and I think they're both lethal.”
After captaining the Roosters to grand final glory over the Sharks on October 6, Kelly joined the Jillaroos camp and set about building combinations with the players around her in a bid to first take care of the Orchids and then seek revenge on the Kiwi Ferns for a loss in last year's final.
“I love representing the Jillaroos and what we stand for. It's always such a really tight group and a great bond," Kelly said.
High five for Whitfeld
“Every year it's completely different. It's different girls, but I love them being here.
"It's really great to play with the likes of girls from Queensland that you never get to play with such a Tamika Upton and some of the middles so I'm just enjoying it and learning off the best to be honest.
“It's a bit of a shock to be honest [finding out she is the highest tryscorer in Jillaroo history]. I think I obviously love being a part of this team and I just want to do what I can personally to make sure that we're a better team on the day."
Robinson's six-try haul was a new record for most tries in a match by a Jillaroo, while Whitfeld equalled the old mark with five, all this achieved without skipper Ali Brigginshaw, who was a late withdrawal due to ongoing issues after recent finger surgery.
The 34-year-old is expected back on deck for Sunday's game in Christchurch and Kelly said her presence will be a huge lift for an already confident Jillaroos outfit.
“Ali is so well respected within this group," Kelly said.
"She is one of those humans that everyone just loves to be around, she always puts us first so just her presence and her experience is going to be huge leading into the Kiwis.
“I think our halves did a really great job [against PNG] and especially Tamika at fullback, so we're only going to be building on that with Ali coming in.
Isabelle Kelly 2nd Try
“We need to be on our A -game against the Ferns. We know what they can produce, but it was our first hit-out together in over a year, so I think we did really well to build on our consistency, which is what we wanted to do as the game went on.
“They're going to be physical. Every single year they're strong, they've got a really great forward pack and strong outside backs so we're going to have to be on our A -game.
“Every time we play them, it's one of the hardest games that I have to play in for the year so yeah, we're going to have to be on."
Match: Kiwi Ferns v Jillaroos
Week 2 -
home Team
Kiwi Ferns
2nd Position
away Team
Jillaroos
1st Position
Venue: Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch
