Westpac NSW Blues debutante Teagan Berry has revealed she considered walking away from rugby league at the end of last year after falling out of love with the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A junior star who burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old in 2020, Berry\u2019s career had started to stall in the past couple of years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The representative honours she\u00a0seemed destined to achieve had eluded the fullback\u2019s grasp as she battled away in a struggling Dragons side.<\/p>\n
Talking ahead of her State of Origin debut in Thursday\u2019s series opener in Newcastle, the 23-year-old revealed she was in a dark place mentally throughout the final months of last year.<\/p>\n
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Blues announce squad for Origin 2026<\/p>\n
\u201cTowards the end of last season I didn\u2019t enjoy footy that much and I was thinking about walking away from the game,\u201d Berry said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t enjoying it and I didn\u2019t find it fun coming to training.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took a lot from my family and my partner to really change that for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy partner got me out of a dark place at the start of the year. He\u2019s been my motivation through this. My family\u2019s my motivation to keep going, to make them proud is all I play football for.\u201d<\/p>\n
A lightning-quick outside back from Oak Flats, Berry is the latest in a long line of rugby league stars to grow up in the Illawarra.<\/p>\n
The fullback burst on to the scene in 2019 when she led the Steelers to a Tarsha Gale Cup premiership.<\/p>\n
Berry went viral soon after with a length of the field try for NSW in the Under 18 State of Origin match and instantly became a household name.<\/p>\n
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Berry goes 100m for the opener<\/p>\n
By the end of 2020, the fullback had made her NRLW debut for the Dragons and a successful career seemingly awaited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI first saw her playing for the Shellharbour Stingrays,\u201d NSW teammate and fellow Illawarra product Keeley Nizza said. \u201cI\u2019d always go and watch her play Tarsha Gale Cup and she\u2019d carve up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI specifically remember her Dragons debut. She was on the wing and she scored a sneaky try from dummy half. It was a barge over where she just backed herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have the guts to do that at 18 is crazy. I remember thinking from that moment that\u2019s her mindset. She\u2019s competitive but she backs herself, which is so important in the positions she plays.\u201d<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t take long for Berry to pop up on the radar of NSW coaches and she found herself in and around the Blues squad throughout the past few years.<\/p>\n
A debut, however, didn\u2019t eventuate and the youngster started to fear she would never represent her state.<\/p>\n
Raw conversations with her family and partner inspired Berry to have one last crack at achieving her rugby league dreams and the decision has immediately paid dividends.<\/p>\n
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All gas no brakes as Berry gets two from long range<\/p>\n
The outside back has earned the chance to perform on Australian rugby league\u2019s biggest stage when she runs on to McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
It marks a far cry from where she was just a few months ago and Berry is determined to make the most of the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still pinching myself,\u201d Berry said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time coming. I\u2019ve been 20th man, 19th man, I\u2019ve played Under 18s and Under 19s Origin but this jersey means more to me than anything. To get my debut now I\u2019m extremely grateful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure when I was going to get my chance, I\u2019m 24 this year so I was like \u2018I\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ll ever play Origin\u2019. Now that I\u2019m getting my opportunity, it is a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having made the decision to play on, Berry entered the year determined to prove she has what it takes to star on the big stage.<\/p>\n
Physically, the fullback has focused on bulking up and building the strength required to handle the rigours of the Origin arena.<\/p>\n
Mentally, she has worked closely with Blues coach John Strange to identify what she needed to do to force her way into the team.<\/p>\n
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Teagan on top<\/p>\n
The mindset shift was quickly noticed by Berry\u2019s NSW teammates throughout a six-week training block leading into Thursday\u2019s game, Nizza praising the youngster for her performances in a series of internal trials.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been pushing to be in the team and then this year she was just outstanding in the last trial,\u201d Nizza said. \u201cShe really pushed her way into the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unreal to see her get an opportunity and Origin is a game she\u2019ll thrive in. She loves big moments and is one of those players that gets herself in the position to have big moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great having her on the bench, it\u2019s exciting to know we\u2019ve got a weapon sitting there and the potential ways she could be used.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berry could be forgiven for being satisfied to have finally made the NSW team but the fullback nicknamed \u2018Flash\u2019 has no plans to slow down.<\/p>\n
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Teagan Berry Try<\/p>\n
Instead, the youngster is determined to use this experience as a platform for a big year.<\/p>\n
The short-term focus is on playing her role off the bench for the Blues throughout the series, before the NRLW season kicks off and the year eventually finishes with a World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to soak it all in this week,\u201d Berry said. \u201cI\u2019m going to keep learning and soak it all in. When I get to the game I\u2019ll be present in the moment and take the opportunity when it comes.\u201d<\/p>\n