Pacific Championships 2023, Kennedy Cherrington, Australian Jillaroos, suspension, Parramatta Eels

Parramatta forward Kennedy Cherrington was going through one of the lowest points of her career when Brad Donald gave her a call to offer another opportunity to represent her country.

Having spent almost half of the NRLW season on the sideline due to a dangerous contact charge, the Parramatta skipper had accepted that a four-match suspension looked like it might cost her a representative jersey in 2023.

But after leading the Australian women’s Prime Minister’x XIII’s team in Papua New Guinea last month, Cherrington will return to the international stage on Saturday when the Harvey Norman Jillaroos face the Kiwi Ferns and the 24-year-old is desperate to make up for lost time on the field this year.

“Don [Brad Donald] rang me and just said, ‘mate, I’d just love to give you another game, you need it’,” Cherrington said ahead of her Prime Minister’s XIII selection.

“Footy is our identity so when it’s taken away from you, it’s like, oh like what do I do…