Tallisha Harden back from injury to debut for Queensland
TALLISHA Harden has come close to her Queensland debut once before, but injury got in the way. It’s been a hard road back.
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TALLISHA Harden has come close to her Queensland debut once before.
It was 2015 and the versatile forward had just played her first game for Australia in their May Test against New Zealand.
Naturally, her form led to her also being named in the Queensland side but exactly one week before she was set to take on NSW, Harden suffered a cruel fate.
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While playing at club level on the Gold Coast, the Burleigh Bears skipper raced in to score a try, but broke and dislocated her ankle in the process.
“I wanted to play, just get a few more minutes in the legs before going away for Origin,” she said.
“About 20 minutes in, I broke my ankle scoring a try … I asked first, ‘did I score the try?’
“Then I was thinking it’d be fine, I had just rolled it and I would be there next week. You always hold out a bit of hope that you might somehow miraculously recover.
“I went to hospital and they said it would nine to 12 month recovery just from the way I broke it and dislocated it and the ligaments were everywhere.
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“It was quite upsetting at the time. I remember sitting in hospital live streaming the game from Townsville.
“I was so stoked for the girls (who drew and retained the trophy) but at the same time I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t be there … I felt like I let the team down.”
It’s been a hard road back for Harden.
She returned to representative football with the Indigenous All Stars team before this year earning her Jillaroos recall at the Commonwealth Championships and a place in the NRL’s top 40 player list.
But last week came the biggest reward yet for her hard work, resilience and patience when new Queensland coach Jason Hetherington named her in his side for the clash. which will be played under the State of Origin banner for the first time.
She will finally get the Queensland debut she was robbed off three years ago.
“I knew I would have to work hard to get a jersey back,” she said.
“It’s been a couple of years now but everything happens for a reason.
“On a personal note, it’s such a nice feeling. I’m just so happy and overwhelmed by everything.
“It’s been a pretty big goal of mine (to get back in the Queensland team) especially seeing a lot of my mates go on to put on the jersey.
“I pencilled myself a couple of goals at the beginning of the year and it was to try to get in that top 40 squad, try to make Origin and win a premiership hopefully with the Bears again.
“To be able to tick two of those off the list so far, it’s a really good feeling.”
The dedicated Burleigh skipper was almost going to play last weekend in what could have been a dangerous test of fate, but Hetherington asked all his squad members to take the week off if their clubs would allow it and so Harden obliged.
When she runs out against NSW on June 22 at North Sydney Oval, few will know how much effort she has put in to get back to this place.
But for Harden, every extra gym session, all the tears and tough days will be worth it.
She will finally be wearing that famous maroon jersey.
Originally published as Tallisha Harden back from injury to debut for Queensland