As one of three Torres Strait Islanders selected in this year's Indigenous women's team, Kimberley Hunt is excited to be representing not only her community, but the whole of Far North Queensland at the NRL Harvey Norman All Stars.
Hunt – a Wakaid woman from Badu Island – hails from Tully, but currently lives in Cairns and said having the match in Townsville made her debut in the team extra special, given her connection to a number of communities in the region.
“It means heaps to be able to represent my mob, especially obviously Torres Straits being really little amongst our Indigenous culture,” said Hunt, who is joined by fellow Torres Strait Islanders Tallisha Harden and Jasmine Peters.
The trio will also get to showcase their distinct culture as part of the Unity Dance that will be performed before kick-off.
Hunt is expecting a large turnout from family and friends, with all but one of her previous top-flight games in the NRL Telstra Women's Premiership last year being played outside of Queensland.
“When I found out the game was going to be in Townsville, I was like ‘hell yeah!’," Hunt said.
“It was obviously a lot for family to travel, so I didn't really get many family to come down and watch my NRLW debut when I was at Parra.
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“Now that the game is up here, I've got the whole community behind me and obviously being from Tully too, there’s people coming down to watch.
“I am super overwhelmed, I am going to be anxious too, but it means the world to me; I've got the biggest mob coming too, pressure’s on now!”
In a bid to earn selection in Jess Skinner's side, Hunt had been making a four-hour road trip twice a week to train with the Tully Tigers men's A Grade side.
“I have been really disciplined with my training and haven’t stopped since the season finished," she said.
"I drive down to Tully which is two hours and then back to Cairns straight after I finish at eight o'clock and I don't get home until 10 o'clock at night.
"The boys have been really welcoming, huge shout-out to them, everything that I've needed to focus on for training, they've responded and said, ‘okay, we’ll do this for her’.
“There are a lot of young boys who join too (from the Tully community), which was super awesome, because it was getting them off the street and they were coming down and having a run and it was motivating them to do good things."
With her job in preventative health with Deadly Choices (an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health program), Hunt also travels to other towns across the north, including Yarrabah, a community just outside of Cairns.
"They're awesome at footy and they're huge supporters too," Hunt said.
"When they heard about me making All Stars; the kids' faces, they were just so excited, it was unbelievable, they loved it.
“They are so excited to watch and that to me means the world, being that role model for them.”
After the All Stars match, Hunt will add a new stop to her weekly travels around North Queensland, heading to Mackay for BMD Premiership training with the Cutters, with an NRLW contract for 2024 yet to be confirmed.