Planes, cranes and 12-seater buses: Keilee's on the ride of her life

In the latest instalment in our special 'Telstra Hersday' series on the stars of the women's game, pan66.com talks to a young Bronco who has packed plenty into the past five years and looks to have the rugby league world at her feet.

She might be living out her dream in her home town now but there isn’t a day goes by that Keilee Joseph doesn’t think about the road she travelled to get here.

It’s already been the ride of a lifetime for the 22-year-old Dally M second-rower of the year, premiership winner, Indigenous All Star and Queensland Maroons rep. 

After packing up her bags and moving to Sydney as a 17-year-old, Joseph never lost sight of her dream to one day pull on the Broncos jersey and she has made that happen through sheer determination and hard work.

“I was born in Brisbane and played all my junior footy here but once I got to 17, I just made the decision to go through the pathway system at the Roosters,” Joseph told pan66.com as part of the Telstra Hersday series.

“So I was a part of their Tarsha Gale pathway for three years before I went on to play in the Harvey Norman competition and eventually NRLW for the Roosters. 

“Lucky for me, I had a lot of family friends down there that I have picked up along the way and who really helped me through that time.

It was a hard decision to move away from home but I knew it was the best thing for me to grow as a player

Keilee Joseph

"Having girls like Ruan Sims and Millie Boyle around the club when I was there, they were really big role models for me at the time and really helped me become the forward I am today.

“I don’t think I would have made it to where I am now if I didn’t make that decision at the time.”

Moving to Sydney to join the Roosters NRLW development squad as soon as she completed her studies at Mabel Park State High School, finding a job to support her football dream was next on the to-do list for Joseph. 

Needing a job that was going to work around her training, the aspiring prop quickly found herself on a construction site and not only did she open Allianz Stadium in 2022 but she can now say she helped build it too.

“The last year of my schooling I was flying in and out playing Tarsha Gale while I was still at school but once I finished school I moved down more permanently as I thought that’s where I was going to get the most opportunities,” she said.

“Lucky for me, I had a family friend of ours who owns a crane company so I picked up some work as a ‘dog man’ there. 

“When I first found out that was my role I had no idea what it was and was pretty scared when I first walked on to the job site but I soon found out it’s the person that directs the cranes and hooks up the loads. 

“I actually helped put the pot plants in at Allianz Stadium which was our home ground at the Roosters. It was these massive pots which they needed a crane for so I helped with that. 

“And then a few weeks later we opened the stadium against the Dragons so it was quite funny telling the girls about that in the dressing sheds and became a bit of a joke.

“So I did the crane work in Sydney the whole time alongside my footy and now I’m actually still doing that same job in Brisbane. 

“They’re really flexible with me trying to juggle footy so whenever I need to, I can shuffle around my shifts, take time off if I need and then just jump straight back into work when I can.”

After all the hours spent on the work site, the training field and missing home, Joseph said being back home with her family has been her biggest blessing in 2024. 

One of seven kids, Joseph said she can’t wait to run out in front of her friends and family when the Broncos return to the finals stage to host the Sharks at Totally Workwear Stadium on Sunday.

A special face in the crowd will be her older brother Laithan, who she credits with first igniting her passion for rugby league when she would watch him playing for the Waterford Demons.

“I’ve got four sisters and two brothers so it was a pretty crazy house growing up, we had a 12-seater bus that we used to drive around in to get to and from all the footy games. It was a really good time,” she said.

“I used to watch my brother growing up, that’s how I got into it because we were at footy all the time anyway because he played and when I saw a couple of girls playing I said I wanted to join in too. So I’ve been playing since I was 11.

“Laithan cops it from his friends a bit now saying he’s not as good as his sister. But he’s so proud of me and watches every one of my games and gives me feedback. He was always my idol growing up and I just wanted to be like him.

“I love being able to play in front of my family each week now and it being easier for them to come to the games because they are the ones that believed in me from the start and helped me get me to where I am today. 

“Also having Shaylee in the squad this year has been really special. I know what she’s capable of and I can’t wait to see her pave her own path in the game in the next few years.

“It was always the plan to come back home to my family, that was always the major motivator for me and when the Broncos finally reached out, I took the chance straight away because that was the end goal for me.”