Reds rugby wondergirl Brill evokes memories of Queensland State of Origin great
Has Queensland league or Reds rugby seen an achievement like what wondergirl Destiny Brill has done in the last eight days? Certainly it is the most amazing achievement since Origin great John Lang’s effort 41 years ago.
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Has Queensland league or Reds rugby seen an achievement like what wondergirl Destiny Brill achieved in the last eight days?
Certainly it is the most amazing achievement since Origin great John Lang’s effort 41 years ago.
Yesterday afternoon Brill, 18, represented the Reds Super W Rugby side in the grand final (NSW won 46-26) after playing for the Queensland State of Origin women’s team eight days earlier.
In that game, playing dummy half for the League Maroons, Brill skidded over for Queensland’s only try in the 8-6 win.
Then yesterday she helped the Reds Super W in the decider.
There have been some great code swappers go from rugby to league as Brill has done - but never back again to rugby within the space of a week.
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It is the most extraordinary achievement since Brisbane Tigers (Easts) legend John Lang played rugby league for NSW, Queensland and Australia - all within the space of a month.
In 1980 Langer, a hooker, answered an SOS from the late Bob Fulton who asked Langer to move from Brisbane’s Easts Tigers to Sydney for a final season with the Roosters.
Lang played so well he was the NSW hooker against Queensland in the interstate series prior to the first State of Origin game being played - and then one of the first players chosen by the Queensland selectors in the inaugural Origin clash.
To ice his career, Lang was also named Australian hooker on the tour to New Zealand.
That unique performance by Lang will never be bettered, but Brill has carved out her own piece of history that will take some toppling.
Brill, who stands at just 153cm in height, in 2020 became the youngest player debut for Queensland in Super W rugby when, aged 16, she scored two tries.
Brill is a rugby girl but has quickly picked up rugby league playing alongside the great Ali Brigginshaw at Fortitude Valleys this season.
Indeed she has been mentored by the best in both codes.
In league she has on and off field guidance from Brigginshaw and in rugby was coached by Cobie-Jane Morgan - before playing club rugby alongside her at the Easts Tigers.
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She first came across Morgan while attending Marsden SHS where Morgan is a teacher.
Morgan mentored Brill and now guides her on field at both club (Easts Tigers) and Super W level.
Brill left school last year having loved the “family-based’’ atmosphere of Marsden SHS, a school a rich in sporting talent headed by Origin legend Cameron Smith.
During last season Brill trained with Marsden’s Langer Trophy boys squad who did not go easy on her.
“I’d rather them go hard,’’ the quietly spoken Brill said.
Jesse Maclean, who as coach of the Marsden SHS 2021 Langer Cup team observed Brill at close quarters, said she earned the respect of the boys.
“Destiny was treated as an equal among 30-plus male rugby league students,’’ Maclean said.
Brill’s 2020 year 12 school mate at Marsden SHS, April Ngatupuna, was starting prop for the Reds while another player of interested in the Super W side was a third Easts Tigers player, Annabelle Codey, the daughter of Wallaby great David Codey.
The Queensland team which lost yesterday grand final 46-26 against the NSW Waratahs was: Bree-Anna Cheatham – Wests, Liz Patu – Wests, Christina Sekona – Sunnybank, Aleena Greenhalgh – Bond University, Annabelle Codey – Easts, Carola Kreis – Bond University, Lucy Lockhart (vc) – Bond University, April Ngatupuna – Easts, Destiny Brill – Easts, Cobie-Jane Morgan (c) – Easts, Ivania Wong – Sunnybank, Diaz Seumanutafa – Bond University, Melanie Wilks – Bond University, Emily Bass – Bond University, Kauna Lopa – Sunnybank.
Reserves
Tiarna Molloy – Wests
Maletina Brown – Easts
Hilisha Samoa – GPS
Lesa Kaleti Mataafa – Sunnybank
Madi Shuck – Bond University
Loretta Lealiifano – Easts
Cecilia Smith – Easts
Natalie Wright – University of Queensland
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