Women’s State of Origin 2025: Moment that left Blues player Abbi Church ‘speechless’ | Exclusive

As a kid growing up in a small town near Camden in south-west Sydney, I certainly never dreamed I’d be pulling on a Westpac NSW Blues Women’s jersey at Allianz Stadium.

Don’t get me wrong, Rugby League ran deep in my family household.

We were glued to the TV for every match but for the girls in my area, it just wasn’t offered. Not back then.

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I played netball and OzTag, like all my mates did, but never Rugby League. It wasn’t until I turned 21 (yes, I hear you; a very late bloomer in footy years) that I finally played my first game of Rugby League.

One game in, I was absolutely hooked. There was nothing like it, and no looking back.

At the same time, I was also chasing another big dream to become a paramedic.

In high school, I bounced between careers in my head and when a career adviser mentioned the path to becoming a paramedic, it just clicked.

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I had family in nursing and emergency services and I loved the idea of a job where no two days looked the same – it felt totally right.

Balancing my love of Rugby League and healthcare worked… at first. But when COVID hit, I faced one of the hardest choices of my life.

I was offered a development contract to play professionally but when the world shut down in 2020, the travel restrictions and healthcare demands made the decision for me and I turned down the contract to stay on the frontline.

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At the time, that was the right call for me but I always knew I had more footy in me. A couple of years later, I was offered a Top 24 spot at a club and this time I took it and I found a way to do both – serve the community as a paramedic and chase my dreams on the field.

People ask me all the time, ‘what’s tougher, being a paramedic or playing Origin-level Rugby League?’

Honestly, they’re both physically demanding but it’s the mental game that really tests you. Whether I’m walking into an emergency or running out onto the field, it takes grit, preparation and a serious amount of discipline. It’s probably the challenges in both these fields that keep me loving it.

The moment I was selected for the Westpac NSW Blues Women, I was speechless.

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I felt so much pride and not just for myself but for the people who supported me the entire time and for every girl who thinks it might be too late to start something new – because it’s not.

Let’s be honest, and I won’t sugar-coat it, my journey has been hard.

There have been huge sacrifices and moments where I had to press pause on one dream to keep another alive, but what I know and always stand by is that what doesn’t challenge you, doesn’t change you.

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If you’re a young girl reading this, thinking about sport or healthcare or doing something a little out of the ordinary, know this: It’s hard and confronting and might look different to what others do but it’s those challenges that make it all so worth it.

And right now playing Women’s State of Origin and wearing that Blues jersey, I’ve never been prouder.

So whilst I haven’t technically decided what uniform is tougher, I love representing both.

Game 3 of the Women’s State of Origin series will kick off at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle tonight, Thursday May 29.

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