Teen star Jesse Southwell talks highs and lows of NRLW after whirlwind season

Ali Brigginshaw is a legend of the game, Jesse Southwell is the biggest rising star in the sport – PAMELA WHALEY reveals how the NRLW, Origin and positional rivals have bonded in Jillaroos camp.

They’re NRLW rivals but Jillaroos skipper Ali Brigginshaw has taken Newcastle’s timid halfback Jesse Southwell under her wing this week after a mixed season for the rising star.

Southwell, just 19, is the future of the Jillaroos in the jersey Brigginshaw will wear for the 25th time in Sunday’s Pacific Challenge final against New Zealand.

Just not quite yet.

The oldest and youngest players in camp, the pair have formed a bond despite their on-field battles at State of Origin and NRLW level which leaves them pitted against each other as rival halves.

Southwell is on a high after her inclusion in the squad, which comes after being knocked out of the NRLW finals by the Roosters which saw the Knights to miss the grand final for the first time in three seasons.

It was a rough end to the season which started by losing her NSW Origin jersey earlier this year.

Jesse Southwell at Jillaroos training. Picture: NRL Photos

“It’s just typical footy to be honest. There’s highs and lows,” she said.

“There’s a lot of interest in the women’s game at the moment which is good for the game, so there’s people delving into your personal life and everyone is going to have their opinions.

“Losing in the semis is always hard, but you’re going to win some and lose some, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow. It was very different (to miss a grand final), but we have a tight group.

“That’s just footy and you take the learnings from those losses this year and hopefully learn from them.

“Playing in the PMs XIII side and then getting the call up here is such a good end to the season.”

Despite the end to the NRLW season, Southwell blitzed it for the PMs XIII side in a 50-0 win over PNG late last month.

Ali Brigginshaw (R) leads Australia onto the field ahead of the women's 2024 Rugby League Pacific Championships match between New Zealand Kiwi Ferns and Australia Jillaroos. Picture: Getty Images

It was the refresher she needed.

“Coming into PMs was actually kind of more my style, just a bunch of rugrats brought together ready to play some footy,” she said.

“Off the field, I’d love to learn from a lot from these girls and how they hold themselves off the field, and what they do and why they are the leaders that they are.

“On the field there’s obviously so much I can improve on, I wanna be fitter, faster, stronger, improve my skill levels.

“I want to keep having fun too because at the end of the day, it’s just a game. I want to enjoy it.”

Jesse Southwell shares a laugh with teammates at Jillaroos training. Picture: NRL Imagery

As the biggest rising star in the game, Brigginshaw, 34, knows Southwell is the future.

Ahead of her milestone match, which will place her among Karyn Murphy and Tahnee Norris as the most prolific players, Brigginshaw reflects on her first camp back in 2009.

“I kind of remember myself being like Jesse, being super shy and Murph and a group of players were like, ‘come on, have a laugh’,” she says.

“I was just this young girl, and you have a laugh and then sometimes you don’t even know what they’re laughing about but you’re trying to fit in. I just remember watching them all the time, thinking they’re so cool, and I can’t wait to be a part of this.

“I hope that’s how she feels now, just knowing that this is what it’s like here.

“It’s like once you get here, you don’t take it for granted.”

Originally published as Teen star Jesse Southwell talks highs and lows of NRLW after whirlwind season