Broncos centre Meg Ward undergoes brutal fitness test ahead of NRLW grand final
REVEALED: How Brisbane centre Meg Ward, battling a wrist injury ahead of Sunday’s historic NRLW decider, proved she would be able to play through the pain.
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BRONCOS centre Meg Ward took no shortcuts in her fitness test for Sunday’s NRLW grand final, with the young gun now cleared to play with a fractured hand.
Ward, who suffered the injury in her Round 2 clash against the Roosters, was put through her paces on Tuesday night to prove she would be able to play through the pain in the premiership decider.
And the gutsy 24-year-old said she instructed Brisbane’s biggest players to run at her as hard as they could so she knew her hand could withstand every bump, tackle and pass.
While some players were understood to be hesitant at first, they eventually turned up the heat and Ward pushed through the full contact session to be given the all-clear for Sunday’s must-win showdown with the Roosters in Sydney.
“You go into a game, you don’t want to go in soft,” Ward said.
“I told the girls run hard at me and they did and I pulled up fine.
“I said to the coach (Paul Dyer) that if I couldn’t make it through the full session then obviously I would rule myself out.
“He gave me every opportunity and I’m ready.”
Ward will play in Sunday’s grand final with her left hand strapped and said she does not require any special kind of protection other than the possibility of a small pad.
She said she never doubted her ability to play, but would have withdrawn if she was not at her best.
“I was pretty confident from the start,” she said.
“If it was anything bigger or I felt I was going to let them down in anyway I wouldn’t be out there.
“There’s a pain there but it’s bearable … It’s manageable, it’s easy. Just strap it up and it’ll be fine, ready to go, deal with it after.”
Ward’s clearance to play sets up another tantalising showdown with Roosters and Jillaroos centre Isabelle Kelly.
The pair first met in State of Origin — where Kelly was the star of NSW’s victory — and then clashed again two weeks ago in their Round 2 meeting.
Ward was able to contain her much better on this occasion and will look to do the same come Sunday with the help of winger Amelia Kuk, who is understood to have been given the nod over Karley Te Kawa.
“It’s happened twice now,” Ward said of the meeting with Kelly.
“In State of Origin she definitely got the better of me and I learnt so much from that game and I took it into the last Roosters game. It will be another great clash.
“You have to grit your teeth and go out hard against a player like her.
“I’m so excited to be in the first ever women’s grand final. To go out there with my Broncos family and to wear that jersey, I’m really grateful and excited.
“I won’t be thinking about my hand. The main thing is to get out there and get the job done.”
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Originally published as Broncos centre Meg Ward undergoes brutal fitness test ahead of NRLW grand final