Stars collide in battle for Jillaroos No.1 jersey at the World Cup

Tamika Upton’s grand final heroics have the Newcastle fullback racing newly minted Jillaroos captain Sam Bremner to Australia’s No.1 jersey, with a Dally M-winning custodian left out of the World Cup squad.

Bremner joins Ali Brigginshaw and Kezie Apps as co-captains of Australia’s 24-player squad for next month’s World Cup, where the Jillaroos could play five games in 18 days.

The Sydney Roosters fullback’s selection caps off a stirring return after leaving the game to give birth to her second child. Bremner and Upton will both get a chance to wear the No.1 jersey during as coach Brad Donald looks to manage his side through a tournament filled with four-day turnarounds.

St George Illawarra star Emma Tonegato has been overlooked in an indication of how strong this Australian side will be when they board a plane to the UK as heavy favourites, hunting their third consecutive World Cup win.

Mal Meninga might have been talking about the Kangaroos when he said the strength of a side is shown in who misses out, but the statement rings just as true for the Jillaroos.

“That was probably the hardest decision for us to make. It shows the quality of the women’s game when someone like Emma Tonegato misses out, but you’ve also got a Dally M fullback of the year [Bremner] and a Karyn Murphy medallist [Upton] in the mix,” Donald said.

“Because of the four-day turnarounds, we will rotate the team as best as we can to give everybody an opportunity to be there come the semi-finals and finals. That’s pretty much what we’ll do to try to get the balance right.

“It’s going to get tougher [to pick teams]. It’s hard, because a number of players who have helped dig the well are the ones that are missing out. I want to acknowledge the NRLW clubs in how they’ve adapted and made sure those players are prepared and the product is great. It’s not like preparing a men’s team.