All hail the Blues' humble hero as Kezie makes history

Kezie Apps well remembers the jibes about her height and build in the school playground.

But those characteristics she has used splendidly as she forged her rugby league career through the Bega Roosters, Helensburgh Tigers, St George Illawarra Dragons, Wests Tigers, NSW Blues, Prime Minister’s XIII and Jillaroos.

“Rugby league gave me confidence and it’s given me purpose,” Apps told NRL.com in the lead-up to playing her 20th game for NSW in Origin Three at Cbus Stadium.

“Going through life before playing, I loved sport and I really wanted to play sport. But I’m not a small person – I’m a big human – so I stood out for the wrong reasons being tall and with my build.

“In a way I didn’t fit in, but finding rugby league, I felt my purpose. I could use my strength and build in a sport I absolutely loved, and I never thought that would be possible.”

The Blues are especially grateful rugby league found Apps with her consistency, strength, skills and leadership making her one of the best in the jersey since 2014.

“She’s timeless … she absolutely is,” said NSW hooker and Jillaroos teammate Olivia Higgins.

“I first met Kezie in Country camp and she made me feel so welcome. I was in awe of what she achieved and several years later and I still am.

“I’m so proud of her because she’s had to fight for her spot and she always comes out on top.”

NSW skipper Isabelle Kelly has been around Apps the longest – she began her Blues career in 2015 and will play her 19th game for her state on Thursday.

“She’s humble and she’s the first person there for everyone,” Kelly said.

“She’s one of my closest friends over the years and has taught me so much as a leader.

“Her kind nature and beautiful soul are the two stand-outs for me.”

Corban Baxter has played with Apps in NSW and Australian colours as well.

“She’s so inspirational and she’s done so much in her career captaining her club, state and country – she’s someone I look up to a lot,” Baxter said.

Apps celebrates 20 NSW appearances on Thursday night but only 16 of those were under the Origin banner, or since 2018. However, the previous four are as equally as important to Apps.

“Those games in the Interstate Challenge are still very important to me because it was still the same passion, the same pride back then,” she said.

“I started in 2014 and it was at Leichhardt Oval, and I love that ground, so it will always be special to me. But there wasn’t any crowd as it was literally just our families and friends.”

Fast forward to 23,000-plus at Suncorp Stadium for Game Two to kick off Magic Round and the difference over 12 years is stark.

“I’m so lucky to see the growth in this space. In 2015 we played before an NRL match and that was huge for us as it meant we got some TV coverage," she said.

“In 2016 we played at Cbus Stadium, which we’re heading to on Thursday, so that’s pretty cool.

“I have really great memories of that stadium as it was the first time we’d beaten Queensland since the Interstate Challenge started in 1999.”

The Blues have won back-to-back Origin series for the first time since 2018-2019 but the job is not done. They want a 3-0 result this year after a 2-1 result in 2025 when they let Game Three slip before a home crowd in Newcastle.

“It’s so crazy to see the game go from even when I started to where it is now … to get so many people invested and supporting our product,” Apps said.

“We always knew we had great athletes but no-one else knew because it wasn’t televised, there wasn’t much media around it.

"Fast forward over 12 years and the crowds are amazing, we have stand-alone games and we have a three-game series – it’s wild.”

Apps had to give up rugby league at age 12 because there were no pathways in the NSWRL as there is now with Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under 17s) and Tarsha Gale (Under 19s) and the NSW Women’s Premiership – the reserve grade for the NRLW in tandem with the QRL’s BMD Premiership.

So, she didn’t have female players as role models at first.

“I supported the Parramatta Eels and I loved watching Nathan Hindmarsh play. He was pretty much my favourite.”

And now Apps is the favourite for many young girls and boys wanting to play rugby league.

“For not just me but all the girls here in (NSW) camp) what we’re playing for is bigger than any of us as individuals. We’re playing for our state, our families. Origin brings families together and that means everything to me.”