Keilee throws down the challenge with Eels on the up and up

Two-time premiership winner, Jillaroo and now 50-gamer Keilee Joseph is quietly confident her new team can make a statement against her old one when the Eels host the Broncos on Sunday.

In her fifth game of the season after suffering a scary hit in this year’s Origin opener, Joseph feels the side, and her game, are finally starting to click. 

“We’ve obviously had a rough start, but we’ve been building really well... I’m very proud (of the team)," Joseph told NRL.com after a 42-16 win over the Sharks.

Joseph celebrated her milestone game in style, dominating the middle of the park with 139 run metres and 18 tackles without a miss.

"I was really happy to get the win and the 50th game was just the icing on the cake, and (especially) with my family out there as well.”  

At 24, Joseph is one of the youngest players to reach 50 NRLW games, with coach Steve Georgallis glowing in his praise of the nine-time Queensland Origin rep.

“(I’m) just really happy for Keilee on her 50th game, it's such a great milestone," he said.

"I mean she’ll obviously go on to play 100 since she’s still quite young."

Joseph left premiers Brisbane and her home state to join the Eels in 2026 and believes her new club is “clearly building something special”.  

The transition coming from a premiership-winning Broncos to a building Eels side has been a shift Joseph has embraced, along with the leadership responsibilities that have come with the move.  

“it’s been a little bit challenging, obviously I came from a team that’s full of heaps of talent and very old wise girls, but being able to come play with these young girls I feel like I’ve become one of the leaders now and I just hope I can impart some of the knowledge (I’ve picked up)," she said.

“I don’t like to talk too much but I show (that leadership) with my actions on the field."

After going winless across the first six rounds and scoring just 66 points in the process, the Eels have piled on 72 in the past fortnight in morale-boosting wins over the Sharks and Bulldogs.

The test of just how far they have come arrives this weekend in the form of a Broncos side hurting after three losses on the bounce.

“After this game, we have the belief that we can do it (beat the Broncos), and it comes down to us, we just have to play 70 minutes… they’re gonna be hungry, we need to be hungrier," Joseph said.

“It has been so amazing, I love the girls here, I’ve been getting along so well with the girls.

"I know we’ve been unlucky with our season this year but I have no regrets coming here. I just can’t wait to build as a team.

“We’ve got so many stars in our team and I just had belief the whole time we could do it, we just had to believe in ourselves."

After playing 23 games with the Broncos across 2024-25 and tasting premiership glory last season, Joseph is looking forward to facing her old mates.

“I'm very excited to play against them, hopefully we can get the win and if we play like we did tonight I think we have a good chance," she said.

“I’m playing my good footy, and I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing… I’m focused on winning these last three games, we’ve still got the potential to make finals and that’s what we’re set on.”