True as Power prepares to play biggest game
with New South Wales everyone knows it.”
The Bowen product’s journey to the plateau of rugby league seemed distant when she gave the game away for a period, however her return last year brought a whole new Power to the field.
No longer a centre, she established herself as a dynamic backrower, and her maiden Queensland cap adds to a year of debuts in the NRLW, North Queensland Gold
Stars
Stars.
In the likes of Josh and Shiree Stowers, Coco and Tammy Quirke, Natalie Perawiti, Ben Jeffries, Pia Power and BJ Freeman, the 23-yearold found a core of people who “believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself” and saw something in her she did not.
Fast-forward from her 2019 comeback to today and she is now the poster girl for and
Indigenous
All
North Queensland women’s rugby league, a mantle that has humbled her but made her determined to make a difference on and off the field.
A move to West Brisbane Panthers in the Holcim Cup with fellow Gold Stars Romy Teitzel and Riutoto Te Hiko coincided with her pursuit of work in the police force, where she hopes to be a catalyst for more Indigenous women to join its ranks.
Courtesy of each sacrifice and extra effort she puts in, Power has solidified herself in Queensland’s best 17, and her desire to make an impression will translate to how she plays for her state.
Power said she would adopt the same impact from the pine as she did in her stints with the Warriors when she comes off the bench.
The transition to top level football has been a shock to the system for Power, but it has led to some dominant performances – most recently her brace of tries against the Dragons prior to her Origin selection.
“I was just very excited to get on and do everything I could to help the team,” Power said.
“The training was a little bit overwhelming, it was such a massive leap from Holcim Cup to NRLW, just the intensity it takes a lot of mental drive to keep going – it was quite a shock to the body.”