Isabelle Kelly first laced up her boots to play rugby league as a teenager seven years ago in the humble surrounds of Berkeley Vale Oval on the Central Coast, when the idea of a national women’s competition was nothing more than a thought bubble.
Now, the 25-year-old centre is about to make history when she leads the Roosters onto the newly-renovated Allianz Stadium turf to mark the first game at the sold-out 42,500-seat venue on Friday night.
“It’s a massive change, it’s a massive part of history for the women’s game. It just goes to show how far it’s come – and it’s going to continue to grow,” she says. “Girls one day will be able to play at stadiums like this all the time,” Kelly tells the Herald.
“It’s not until you have a young girl or a young boy come up to you and talk to you about how you’re their inspiration and their hero that it hits home. That just goes to show why we’re doing it.”
Kelly and the reigning premiers will face the St George Illawarra Dragons in a grand final rematch, before the Roosters’ men’s side faces South Sydney to close out the double-header.
Ready to make history: Isabelle Kelly at the Allianz Stadium on Thursday.Credit:Brook Mitchell
“It’s super special, considering this is also a home game for us. We’re super honoured to be the first team on the pitch and it just goes to show the Roosters are backing us and we’re going to showcase history being the first women’s team to play out here.”
A day before the seats are filled on Friday, league greats Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler step onto the pristine turf and cast their minds back to some of their biggest moments created at the site of the Sydney Football Stadium.
“Playing Origins, the 1997 grand final, throwing intercepts to Freddy [in the 2000 preliminary final],” Johns grins.
Now the pair will trade footballs for microphones as part of the commentary team on Nine – the publisher of this masthead – for the double-header.
“I’m blown away. It’s like a mini Old Trafford. It’s sensational [for the NRLW]. It’ll be a big moment, it’ll be a full house,” Johns said.
Roosters coach John Strange says it’s a perfect storm. Finals spots are on the line between two unbeaten teams, yet he believes such an occasion would not be enough to daunt the players.
Fittler can think of no better way to open the $830 million stadium than to reward players who have redefined what it is to be women in rugby league.
“They’ve handled it so well, the limelight, the adulation, and even the playing. You think sometimes as the pressure goes up, the footy drops away, but theirs stays the same. They thoroughly deserve it,” Fittler said.
James Bracey, Danika Mason, Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler at Allianz Stadium.Credit:Brook Mitchell
“It’ll be heaving by the end. The one thing about the women, I saw it in the Origin, they handle the pressure really well. They’ll enjoy it, they deserve it.”
He said the Roosters and the Dragons were the best two teams in the NRLW “and then you’ve got South Sydney and the Roosters [in the NRL] – what a great way to launch the stadium”.
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