Neil Cadigan
For someone who just “rocked up at training” with “no idea whatsoever” about the intricacies of rugby league, Jessika Elliston is quite a success story for the Gold Coast Airport-sponsored Seagulls women’s team.
The 21-year-old who has been selected in the Queensland squad for the State of Origin clash against New South Wales on June 21 admits she only headed to training for the inaugural Tweed Heads women’s team in March because she thought it would improve her tackle technique for her role in rugby sevens in which she had already represented Queensland.
She’d had one season of league with the Nerang Roosters when she was 16 but the next year her father started a sevens team at Currumbin Alligators and she devoted all her attention to that.
Jessika lives just a good kick away from Piggabeen Sports Complex and can hear the voices during training sessions at the ground from her home.
A couple of teammates from her Bond University sevens team tempted her to join them at Seagulls training to check out rugby league, so she went along.
“I saw Tweed were starting a league team and thought I’d have a crack at league because it would help me with my contact (in tackling),” she said.
“A few of the sevens girls said they were going to have a go so eventually I sort of just rocked up to training and had no idea whatsoever what to do.
“Instead of playing the ball I was going into a ruck and standing over people, offside.
“I didn’t even know if I’d make the team for the first game. So, to be selected for South-East Queensland and now Queensland, it’s blown me away to be honest … I was in shock for a couple of minutes when I got the call to say I was in the Maroons squad.”
Elliston, a hairdresser at Tweed Heads who plays in the back row but can also handle centre because of her speed and skills, said she quickly took to what the Seagulls wanted to achieve with their first women’s team because of the great atmosphere and bond between the players that was quickly created.
While rugby sevens, which has an ‘Aon’ domestic competition run through universities (starting in August), has been her priority, her quick development into a league representative player after just six games for the Seagulls has given her a big decision to make.
“I’ve just really enjoyed playing league, and enjoy the contact of it,” she said.
“The atmosphere at Tweed is just awesome and everyone is enjoying it.
“We’ve got CJ (Sims), Jo (Josina Singapu) and Foxy (Shelley Fox) who are role models and our coach Kelvin Wright is really cool, knowledgeable and so encouraging; I just love it.
“I just want to work as hard as I can now and keep improving.”
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