Australian women’s sevens rugby player Ellia Green’s emotional reunion with her mother Yolanta

THE emotion overflowed when the Australian women’s sevens team hatched a plan to reunite Ellia Green with her sick mother Yolanta.

ELLIA Green had no idea, which was all part of the plan.

After being told she wasn’t required to attend a training session, the Australian women’s rugby sevens speedster took up the offer of a pre-Commonwealth Games facial instead.

But at the last minute a call came through: get down here for “an interview”.

“I thought it was a bit strange but I washed the mask off and got down to the field,” Green said.

“Walshy (coach Tim Walsh) said to me: ‘come with me, your interview is over here’.

“And there behind the stand was my mum waiting for me, like a kid waiting for a school bus.

Australian Rugby 7 star Ella Green with her mum Yolanta. Photo: RUGBY.com.au/Stuart Walmsley

She just broke down in my arms, crying.”

So unfolded the emotional reunion on Tuesday between Green and her mum Yolanta on the Sunshine Coast.

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Yolanta has been fighting cancer for several years and due to her treatments is often unable to travel to Aussie sevens games and functions.

Ellia had hugged her mum goodbye several weeks ago, believing she wouldn’t be coming up from Melbourne to the Commonwealth Games. As she always does, Green would write “Mum” on her wrist tape and think of her before the matches.

Ellia Green at training. Photo: RUGBY.com.au/Stuart Walmsley

But an elaborate plan, hatched by the other parents of the Aussie women’s saw Yolanta this week conduct an epic journey up the east coast to surprise Ellia.

Yolanta first caught a train from Melbourne to Sydney, where she met Tracy and Don Caslick — the parents of Aussie star Charlotte — who’d flown down from Queensland to pick her up.

They then drove all the way back to Brisbane, before making their way to the Sunshine Coast, where the Aussie team have been in camp.

“I was just shell-shocked. I had no idea,” Green told News Corp.

Ellia Green at Sevens training. Photo: RUGBY.com.au/Stuart Walmsley

“We have just been unsure about it for a while because she has been going through treatments and stuff. The fact she was able to make it here after 22 hours travel time is just amazing. That was so special.”

Green said the incredibly kind gesture of the Caslicks was typical of a tight family bond that’s not only grown among the Rio gold medallists, but among their parents as well.

“They’ve been incredible to me, because Mum hasn’t been able to come to some things while having treatments,” Green said.

“Without the support of the Aussie sevens team, it would have been very difficult but we are honestly just like one big family.

“Our families have a joint group message where they stay in contact the whole time, and they do a lot of shared accommodation.

The Australian women’s team will be going for gold this weekend. Photo: RUGBY.com.au/Stuart Walmsley

“We are joined at the hip when we are on tour and so are our families, and that’s what I love. No doubt that’s why we gel so well as a team.”

Green was born in Fiji but was adopted as a baby by Yolanta and her late father Evan Green. She and her mum believe they were destined to be together, and so the significance of Yolanta braving the journey to be in the stands on the Gold Coast can’t be put into words by Green,

“It means everything to me,” Green said.

“She obviously knows how important this time is but honestly, nothing is more important to me than her health. The fact she could be here is fantastic.
“Even if she couldn’t be here I know she’d be with me in my heart but the fact she is here is an absolute blessing.”

The Australian women’s team kick off their Commonwealth Games campaign on Friday.

Originally published as Australian women’s sevens rugby player Ellia Green’s emotional reunion with her mother Yolanta