NRL.com: Joseph's rise sheds light on Jillaroos' Indigenous pathways

Keilee Joseph never imagined she'd go from representing the Indigenous All Stars to playing for Australia at the World Cup in the space of 12 months.

Nor did she expect to win a premiership in her first NRLW season and be part of a Roosters outfit who went undefeated in the second campaign last year right up until the finals. 

The journey of Joseph's in the past year has been similiar with many players in the women's game who are quickly rising up the pecking order with representative coaches and clubs.

"I still can't believe I went overseas and played for Australia, I haven't been able to comprehend it," Joseph told NRL.com.

"From All Stars last year to where I am now, there's a massive gap that I've filled. 

"You learn something every day and are always getting better. The biggest thing I took out of everything was never take your spot for granted."

The women's All Stars program helped produce the highest number of Indigenous representation in the Jillaroos' World Cup squad last November, making up a quarter of the squad overall. 

Joseph, Caitlan Johnston, Jaime Chapman, Shaylee Bent and Taliah Fuimaono, who all played in the 2022 All Stars match, ended the year in Brad Donald's Jillaroos line-up. 

Former Indigenous All Stars captain Tallisha Harden missed the match last February through injury but was also part of the Jillaroos squad by season's end.

Tamika Upton, who withdrew from both the Jillaroos and All Stars in recent months, is another who would’ve featured at the World Cup.

Olivia Kernick was also part of the Jillaroos squad and has represented both the Indigenous All Stars and Māori All Stars while Kirra Dibb earned a State of Origin recall.

"It was great to see so many of our girls from last year's squad be part of the Jillaroos and we want to see that number grow," Indigenous All Stars coach Ben Jeffries said.

"The All Stars environment is a special place, they can come in and be themselves and how they approach the game and hold themselves accountable is really evident.

"As staff we play a big part in developing the production line and we've got a lot of young players, some of whom will make their debut this week, who we want to see in the Jillaroos system in a year or two's time."

The Māori All Stars were represented with Kennedy Cherrington and Shannon Mato among those who ran out for the Jillaroos, showing the ability to represent both country and culture throughout the year.

The Jillaroos have a rich Indigenous history with the likes of Katrina Fanning, Tarsha Gale, Tracey Thompson and Rebecca Young among more than 40 players who have worn the green and gold.

Indigenous All Stars assistant coach Jessica Skinner was also part of the Jillaroos coaching staff in England as an assistant to Donald.

"To have three First Nation coaches including BJ (Jeffries) as PNG coach and Simon Buxton as strength and conditioner at the World Cup, it was a huge success overall," Skinner said.

"We had seven in the Jillaroos program and two more in the PNG program with Essay Banu, who will make her debut for the Indigenous side on Saturday, and Shellie Long, also representing First Nations people.

"Those girls and the rest of the Jillaroos always celebrate First Nations people and they were really proactive in that. The girls left their mark on that campaign and what it mean to represent the whole of Australia and its traditional people."