Back in the green and gold fold: Cherrington ready to put suspension to rest

Kennedy Cherrington of Parramatta was in the midst of one of her worst seasons when Brad Donald called to offer her another chance to serve her country.

After missing nearly half of the NRLW season owing to a dangerous contact charge, the Parramatta captain had acknowledged that a four-match sentence may lose her a representative jersey in 2023.

But after leading the Australian women’s Prime Minister’x XIII’s team in Papua New Guinea last month, Cherrington will return to the international stage on Saturday when the Harvey Norman Jillaroos face the Kiwi Ferns and the 24-year-old is desperate to make up for lost time.

“Don [Brad Donald] rang me and just said, ‘Mate, I’d just love to give you another game, you need it’,” Cherrington said ahead of her PM’s XIII selection.

“Footy is our identity so when it’s taken away from you, it’s like, oh like what do I do now? I kind of felt a bit helpless in that four-week period… but I’ve put it to rest, taken it on the chin.

“I’m one of the ambassadors and facilitators for Greg Inglis’ Goanna Academy with the work he does there, so I’m not afraid to speak up and say I was dealing pretty badly with mental health.

“I was going through a tough time but had a really good support system and got through.”

Despite playing only five NRLW games this season, Cherrington’s selection in the Jillaroos team should come as no surprise to rugby league fans, as the muscular lock scored two tries in three minutes to help the Jillaroos defeat the Kiwi Ferns 54-4 in the final at Old Trafford last year.

The gifted forward, who was named on the bench for Saturday’s repeat of the World Cup final in Townsville, said she focused on the positives during her time on the bench and is now feeling well rested and ready for the international campaign.

“My body feels great; I think it was the longest break I’ve ever had because after the World Cup, we went straight to All Stars and then straight to the Harvey Norman Premiership [before going into NRLW games].”

“Another silver lining was that my girls [Eels teammates] really stepped up and got a chance to show off who they are.”

“It’s never easy when your captain is out, but I think the girls have handled it admirably.”

“I think resilience is one of my best characteristics that I like to be proud of so now I just have to park it, move on.”