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Westpac NSW Blues star Yasmin Clydsdale has revealed how the tough decision to step away from full-time work as a teacher helped take her career on the field to the next level.
The edge forward was among the best players on the ground during Origin I, terrorising Queensland halfback Ali Brigginshaw from the opening whistle to lay the foundation for a 32-12 victory at Suncorp Stadium.
Clydsdale will look to repeat the performance at Allianz Stadium on Thursday night as the Blues look to close out the series in front of a vocal home crowd.
The veteran has previously juggled full-time work as a high-school teacher with her sporting dreams as an elite athlete. It's a familiar position for many of the game's top players as the NRLW steadily works towards a full-time professional model.
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The best Red Zone plays from Women's State of Origin I
The Newcastle forward lives on a farm in Scone with her husband, former Knights hooker Adam Clydsdale, and said a conversation between the couple led to the decision to commit her full attention to her rugby league aspirations.
"Taking leave without pay from my permanent position at Scone Grammar has allowed me to focus on football and just do casual teaching," Clydsdale told NRL.com. "I was very emotionally stressed trying to be there for my students and also focus on football.
"After having a conversation with me husband, he said 'you should put football first, you never know when it could come to an end'. Being able to put more focus on my football has really helped my game."
After starring for the Australian rugby sevens team, Clydsdale made the transition to rugby league when she played for the Roosters in the 2020 NRLW season.
Since then she hasn't looked back, with a NSW Blues debut following later that season.
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Clydsdale the Player of the Match
After shifting to the Knights in 2022, Clydsdale played a key role in the side's NRLW premiership and was selected for the Jillaroos' triumphant World Cup campaign.
The representative arena provides a chance for the edge forward to link up with former Roosters teammate Isabelle Kelly, with the pair forming a lethal combination on the left flank for both NSW and Australia.
Clydsdale is known for her intense competitiveness and Kelly said it's what makes her such a good teammate.
"We love playing next to each other," Kelly said. "We always want to make teams so we get to play with each other again.
"Yasmin's really competitive, she loves being the person that wants to go the extra mile. It's something I've loved about playing with her, how competitive she is."
Match: Blues Women v Maroons
Game 2 -
home Team
Blues Women
away Team
Maroons
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
While she has represented her state since 2020, Clydsdale has lifted the Shield just once, as a winger when the Blues prevailed 20-14 in Canberra in 2022.
Since then, Women's Origin has expanded from a standalone game to a three-game series, with the 31-year-old transitioning from a speedy outside back to one of the most skilful edge forwards in the game.
Clydsdale's pressure forced Brigginshaw to kick the ball out on the full in the opening set of the game and she didn't let up for the entire 70 minutes. The forward finished with 81 running metres, three tackle breaks, two line-break assists, one try assist and a team-high 26 tackles.
The shift to the back row was first suggested by NSW coach John Strange when he was mentoring the youngster at the Central Coast Roosters, with the pair reuniting for this year's Origin campaign.
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All Tries – QLD Maroons v NSW Blues
The 31-year-old recognises she is approaching the back-end of her career and she's desperate to help NSW wrap up the series on Thursday night.
"As I've got older I'm getting a better grasp of the game and understanding my role a lot more," Clydsdale said. "I'm clear with what I need to achieve during a game and that has helped me maintain the consistent football that I want to keep playing.
"Queensland will learn from the first game and they've made some changes in their squad so we aren't going to take them lightly because they've got a lot of threats across the field."