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Sent from the field in the last minute of the first half with a head knock, it was not the dream debut Maroons rookie Jasmine Peters was hoping for in Game One of this year’s State of Origin series.
Unable to return to the field after failing her HIA, Peters was forced to watch on as her side went down to the Blues. However, after being recalled on the wing by coach Tahnee Norris for the must-win match at Allianz Stadium tomorrow night, Peters is grateful she’s been given a second chance to show Queensland what she can do.
“I'm just as keen as I was when I came into camp the first time; I'm ready to show Queensland that I can play 70 minutes; I've done the rehab that I needed to get back and that is important, especially when our bodies literally are our temples,” Peters said after passing through the NRL’s mandatory concussion protocols.
“Our bodies are what we need to make this a genuine career, so we have to look after our bodies and our heads first and then we are able to go out on the field and show our talent.
“It's like any other injury – but just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not to be looked after and it's not serious.
“I think the staff and the game has come a long way to show that it's a genuine injury and that we need to treat it like it is one, and it's to be taken seriously.
“It's also a hard injury, because you can't base it off your normal injuries, like if you were to break a bone; there's no time frame, each concussion's different.
“I'm just lucky enough that I'm able to get back in the time that I need to be in this squad and in this space.”
Peters – who earlier this year represented her Torres Strait Islands culture as part of the Indigenous All Stars team – has enjoyed a notable rugby league career so far since twisting her dad’s arm to let her play in a school girls game at the age of 12.
Another graduate from the first ever Under 18 State of Origin match (now an Under 19 representative fixture), Peters has been part of the Queensland pathways for a number of years, also winning a statewide BMD Premiership title with North Queensland Cowboys affiliate club Mackay Cutters last year.
Being around this environment for a while helped make her transition into the senior squad one of her most ‘comfortable’ debuts and one she’d been wanting to make since she was a young girl in North Queensland supporting the Maroons.
“Honestly, with all the different debuts I've had in my career so far, I felt I probably was the most comfortable,” Peters said.
“I think it's just a credit to the girls and the squad, they welcomed all of us debutants as if we were one of their own and there was no-one's higher than anyone else.
“We're all on the same page and we all deserve to be here, so we were treated just as equals.
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Inside Camp: Mini Maroons Reporter
“I was part of the original Under 18 squad that played when they made it a State of Origin in 2019 … it's another thing to play for your state.
“There is such rivalry between New South Wales and Queensland that when you're a kid, you get amongst it.
“If you're in the footy community, that's all you live and breathe, that's all you look forward to.
“There’s the Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights, but when it comes to Origin, it's like everyone knuckles down, everyone's glued to the TV; so I think being able to represent my family at one of the highest levels that you can is an achievement and a dream in itself that only very few can achieve.”
With a do-or-die battle on the cards, Peters said the squad knew they had plenty to improve on if they were to upset the in-form Blues, but had confidence that if the team brought their best game, they could force the series into a decider.
“In our last game, we just didn't do what we set out to, we just didn't play to our best strengths and what we showed in the field was not what we showed at training and what we can bring,” Peters said.
“I think that was only a small bit of our potential and we haven't even hit 50 percent yet. I think once we show 100 percent, it'll be a completely different game for these next two rounds coming.
“Us debutants, now we've got that experience – I will be nervous before a game; but now know what it's like, we know how loud the stadium can get.
“We've got all those distractions out. We've just got to focus on the game.
“We know exactly what we need to do and we just need to believe why we're here and that we deserve it.
“We need to win Game Two to be in the series, but we're all here because we love that rivalry.
“We love our state, so I think it's just going to come naturally, the aggression and what we need for Game Two, I think we will bring it.”
Match: Blues Women v Maroons
Game 2 -
home Team
Blues Women
away Team
Maroons
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
