'Still a shot': Injured Dibb pushing for Sky Blues recall

Star playmaker Kirra Dibb hasn’t given up hope of playing State of Origin and is aiming to impress NSW coach John Strange ahead of the May 1 series opener at Suncorp Stadium.

Despite undergoing ankle surgery after suffering a syndesmosis injury in last month’s All Stars game, Dibb was among 28 players who attended the first Sky Blues training session under new coach John Strange on Wednesday.

A qualified exercise physiologist, Dibb is working with her physio on a staged recovery program she hopes will enable her to be available for selection in the series opener but if not for Origin II at Allianz Stadium or Origin III in Newcastle.

“I am still trying to push for a jersey as best I can because if recovery goes well, I am definitely still a shot for at least one of the games,” Dibb said.

“It’s a three-game series and I am hoping to be available for as many games as possible, pending recovery.

“I have got some goals and hopefully I will be putting some boots on before selection starts.”

Dibb, who is preparing for her third season at the Cowboys, played in NSW’s last successful Origin campaign in 2022 and was 18th player in last year’s inaugural women’s series but did not take the field in either of the three matches.

With the Sky Blues winning the series opener in Brisbane and leading until the final minute in Newcastle before losing the decider in Townsville, it was a frustrating experience and one that has made her more determined to play.

“Every year since I debuted it has always been the goal to put that jersey back on and bring the shield back to NSW, but unfortunately it hasn’t been as smooth a ride as I would have liked,” she said.

“To come back from not only non-selection but the injury would mean the world to me, and it would give me that extra motivation when I am on the field to do everything I can for that NSW jersey.”

The 27-year-old said her knowledge from working as an exercise physiologist before her NRLW career began in 2019 at Sydney Roosters was beneficial in understanding the recovery process.

“I am very fortunate to be able to understand how the body works, how the anatomy works, what recovery timelines are meant to look like and how much I can push my body, and when not too,” Dibb said.

“I think my understanding of the human body and how it works and how exercise assists in every element of my life, including return to play, has helped me enormously throughout my career and with this injury, in particular.”

The 30-player squad - including Newcastle pair Yasmin Clydsdale and Olivia Higgins, who are travelling in the United States after playing for the Jillaroos in Las Vegas - underwent an online induction with Strange last weekend.

Besides Dibb, Knights premiership winning halfback Jesse Southwell, teenage Dragons star and NSW U19s captain Kasey Reh, Roosters utility Jocelyn Kelleher and Bulldogs recruit Tayla Preston are vying for the NSW playmaking roles.

St George Illawarra speedster Teagan Berry, new Dragons recruit Hannah Southwell, Cowboys winger Jakiya Whitfeld, Sharks hooker Quincy Dodd and prop Ellie Johnston are other players who didn’t feature in last year’s series.

Among the absentees are last year's halves Rachael Pearson and Corban Baxter, bench utility Taliah Fuimaono and props Millie Elliott and Caitlin Johnson-Green, who are both pregnant. 

Dodd said Strange had outlined his plan for the next six weeks leading into the series opener and the Sky Blues were aiming to win at Suncorp on May 1 – the opening night of Magic Round - before regaining the Origin trophy on home soil.

“It is really cool to be in that prime position the night before Magic Round when the world of NRL fans are going to be in Brisbane and we kick off the State of Origin series for the men and the women,” Dibb said.

“We are the first Origin game, so it is an exciting time to be involved in women’s rugby league. My debut was the second year under the State of Origin banner [2019] and it was just that one game so it was do-or-die.

“We always wanted it to be that three game series and be that proper battle where you have got to grind it out for a month or longer.

“Beating Queensland in Queensland is a next level experience, especially on such a monumental field like Suncorp Stadium so it would be a great start to the series for us to be able to do that again.”