Jillaroos star Kezie Apps undergoes surgery ahead of inaugural women’s NRL
ALMOST a year after she broke her leg, Jillaroos star Kezie Apps has undergone surgery to remove the six screws and plate inserted in her leg so she could play at the rugby league World Cup.
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ALMOST a year after she broke her leg at the Auckland Nines, Jillaroos star Kezie Apps has undergone surgery again to remove the six screws and plate inserted in her leg so she could play at the rugby league World Cup.
Apps opted to undergo surgery early this season so she would be available for NSW Blues selection for the women’s State of Origin and inaugural women’s national rugby league competition in August.
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Apps was confined to a moon boot for 14 weeks after breaking her leg and tearing ankle ligaments while playing for the Jillaroos in New Zealand last February.
“I was getting a little bit of pain from one of the screws so wanted it out,’’ Apps said after the operation this week.
“It will be a six to eight week recovery before I can run. There were six screws to come out so six holes that need to heal. But it will all be fine.’’
The operation means Apps is unavailable for the Commonwealth Nines event to be played in Brisbane in February in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games.
Surgery done and dusted ðŸ‘ðŸ»ðŸ‘🻠good to get the nasty plate and screws out of my leg 🙌ðŸ»ðŸ¤™ðŸ»ðŸ’• #teamrehab pic.twitter.com/acedxPRIzr
— Kezie Apps (@KezieApps) January 18, 2018
But the former women’s Dally M winner said if she had delayed the surgery she might not have been back at full strength and speed well for the planned tournament in May and the Origin battle between NSW and Queensland later this year.
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Apps, who has, taken up a role with the Dragons as a community and development officer, said she is keen to know further details of the first women’s rugby league premiership which will be contested by six still unknown clubs in August.
The New Zealand Warriors this week indicated they are also keen to have a team involved in the inaugural women’s NRL competition which will run for six weeks and culminate with a final to be played on grand final day as a curtain raiser to the men’s season decider.
Rugby league is one of the last major sports to get a major women’s competition up and running but which when established will be fighting for a share of the attention already garnered by competitions including the W-League, Super Netball, the WBBL, WNBL and AFLW.
Apps and her Jillaroos teammates showed there is a real appetite for the women’s game at the elite level with their 23-16 win over in the World Cup late last year well received by fans.