Although Millie Boyle only began her career in top flight rugby league as early as last year, it was simply a return to the game she loved as a kid for the now dual-code superstar.
With some advice from junior league teammate Kezie Apps and brother Morgan (currently playing for the Sea Eagles), the decision to come back to rugby league for the first time since under-12s was an easy one for the talented forward – who was already excelling in the Super W competition and had also represented the Wallaroos in their 2017 Rugby World Cup.
For Boyle to juggle an elite career in two rugby codes from the beginning of 2019 is exceptional in itself, and her finish to the year as runner-up with the Jillaroos in the World Nines tournament marked the end of a truly extraordinary season. Boyle’s stellar year also featured a victorious Women’s State of Origin debut, a Super W Grand Final appearance, an NRL premiership for the Brisbane Broncos and multiple Wallaroos Tests against Japan and New Zealand.
In 2020 Boyle has spent most of the season recovering after suffering a bulging disc injury at the end of 2019 but it certainly didn’t stop her from making an impact off the field. After receiving the news of her Cobargo hometown being severely affected by bushfires earlier this year, Boyle set up a fundraising page for community relief and, with the help of Apps, also offered assistance in local evacuation centres.
Despite still being sidelined indefinitely, the impact of COVID-19 has drastically changed the 2020 sporting calendar, and it could certainly work in favour of Boyle as the dual international eyes off a return to play for a second NRLW campaign and Women’s State of Origin in November.
