LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
The Australian Jillaroos' coach, Jess Skinner, has announced her squad for the upcoming Pacific Championships, featuring four possible debutants.
Newcomers Rima Butler, Jocelyn Kelleher, Sienna Lofipo, and Jesse Southwell are set to participate in matches against Samoa in Brisbane and New Zealand in Auckland on October 26 and November 2, respectively.
The squad will be co-captained by Kezie Apps and Ali Brigginshaw and draws heavily from the grand final teams, the Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters.
Following their recent grand final win over the Roosters, the Broncos have four players selected, while the Roosters have six, together constituting ten out of the 21-player roster.
Skinner expressed confidence in her squad, stating, "This is a strong squad with a number of established Jillaroos as well as players who have progressed to this level through their form in the NRLW competition."
She emphasized the importance of the tournament, saying, "This is a really important tournament for us and I expect this squad to perform at the highest level as we continue to look towards not only next year's World Cup but also progressing the women's game at international level."
The complete squad includes:
- Kezie Apps (c) (Wests Tigers)
- Ali Brigginshaw (c) (Brisbane Broncos)
- Rima Butler (Sydney Roosters)*
- Yasmin Clydsdale (Newcastle Knights)
- Keeley Davis (Sydney Roosters)
- Quincy Dodd (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
- Jessika Elliston (Gold Coast Titans)
- Ellie Johnston (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
- Keilee Joseph (Brisbane Broncos)
- Jocelyn Kelleher (Sydney Roosters)*
- Isabelle Kelly (Sydney Roosters)
- Olivia Kernick (Sydney Roosters)
- Sienna Lofipo (Gold Coast Titans)*
- Tiana Penitani Gray (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
- Julia Robinson (Brisbane Broncos)
- Jessica Sergis (Sydney Roosters)
- Jesse Southwell (Newcastle Knights)*
- Sarah Togatuki (Wests Tigers)
- Tamika Upton (Brisbane Broncos)
- Jakiya Whitfeld (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Emma Verran (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)