Kelly breaks silence on ‘distressing, scary’ Origin injury
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It’s been three weeks since Sky Blues co-captain Isabelle Kelly left the field coughing up blood and struggling to breathe in Origin I, but the star centre has only just broken her silence on the incident, describing it as distressing and scary.
“It probably wasn’t until about four days after the incident that I realised how it had affected me more mentally than possibly physically,” Kelly said.
“I’ve obviously had my fair share of injuries like every player has, but that was more traumatic for me as it kind of showed me the bigger picture outside of football as well.
“And that is that health is so important … yes, it was distressing, scary on the night, but everyone was so helpful. I felt so well-supported from my team, my family – I knew everyone was behind me.”
Kelly was rushed to ICU at Westmead hospital after copping a forearm to the throat from Queenslander Julia Robinson just before half-time in the Sky Blues’ 18-10 loss at CommBank Stadium.
But Kelly has described her injury as a freak accident between her and a close friend, with no malice involved.
Isabelle Kelly said her injury was a “freak accident”.Credit: Getty
“It’s a very raw one for me because Robbo [Robinson] and I are quite good friends – she’s been my winger before [Jillaroos] … she is one of the most beautiful people,” Kelly said.
“It’s just one of those freak accidents that can happen in rugby league. She did send me flowers and reached out to me. It will never hurt our relationship because I know she didn’t intentionally go in there to hurt me.”
Blues coach Kylie Hilder was furious play didn’t stop for Kelly when she was struggling on the ground.
“That’s a big concern for me when we’ve got a player on the ground in discomfort and not in a great way, and she was struggling to breathe,” Hilder said at the post-game press conference.
Tamika Upton and Julia Robinson check on Isabelle Kelly after her horror injury in game one.Credit: Getty
Robinson was later whacked with a one-match ban for the dangerous contact, meaning the Queenslander who scored a double in game one will sit on the sidelines for the decider in Townsville on Thursday night.
“Obviously, we have to look after the safety of our players. I feel bad she’s missing a State of Origin game but at the same time actions have consequences,” Kelly said.
“No hard feelings whatsoever and I know when we get back to being on the same team one day, things will be exactly how they were between us.”
Despite her traumatic experience, Kelly said returning to pre-season training with the Roosters helped her get back onto the field.
“I could go back to football and start training at a safe level with all the Roosters medical staff around me,” Kelly told the NSW Rugby League website.
“They made sure everything I did was a slow progress to me building my confidence back … I’m still getting it back… but I was in an environment where I felt safe on the field.”
“I had Roosters staff and players to talk to, then the NSWRL (Origin) staff and teammates, and obviously, my friends to talk to. So as hard as it was, I never felt alone. I always felt well-supported in my situation. Now all I need to do is my job on Thursday night and that’s what I want to do.”
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