Romy Teitzel primed for long-awaited Queensland debut

Tonight’s Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons debut has been a long time coming for Romy Teitzel.

The proud Tully product has been part of the team’s larger squad for the past two seasons, developing and learning from some of the best in the game.

Now tonight, at Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium, the 24-year-old will no longer be watching from the sidelines.

Tonight she will pull on that prized maroon jersey and run onto the field, ready to make her mark in State of Origin football.

“It’s very exciting,” she said.

“The last few years that I’ve been involved with the Queensland Maroons, it’s been awesome to see the success and the professionalism that the team has and where women’s rugby league’s going.

“Everyone wants to put on that jersey and run out when it comes to game time but the ability to be here in the camp, surrounded by the people we have here, that’s a pretty special thing.

“A lot of girls want to be in the position that we are today. When you get the chance to come here and be involved in State of Origin, it’s pretty special and everyone should be proud of themselves.”

Teitzel will come off the bench in tonight’s showdown with New South Wales, with her focus on doing the best she can on an individual level to lift and inspire her teammates around her.

“I’m going to prepare and have the mentality to play my game and do my role to the best of my ability,” she said.

“If I do that, it’s going to help the people around us. It’s also about bringing a team-first mentality.

“A big one in my position is to do the work off the ball that the people in the crowd might not notice but it’s going to do a role for your team and when the time comes, you’ll be rewarded for it.”

But, outside of this, she also wants to do herself, her family, her teammates and her hometown proud.

Teitzel started playing rugby league at the age of 15, after growing up trying her hand at a number of sports.

She played with the North Queensland Marlins in their inaugural year in the under 16s and then moved to Townsville fresh out of school and signed up with the Western Lions at the age of 19.

From here, Teitzel’s career expanded greatly, representing Queensland Country at the women’s national championships before earning NRLW contracts. She has played with the Brisbane Broncos and Newcastle Knights – where she won a premiership last year – and will return to the Broncos for the 2023 season.

Teitzel earned her first call-up into the extended Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons squad in 2021.

Her father, Craig, also came from a rugby league background having played for the Western Suburbs, Illawarra Steelers, Warrington Wolves and North Queensland Cowboys.

With her parents and brother set to be in the stands tonight, she said she wouldn’t be where she is today without her family.

“Growing up in a small town like Tully, we were in the middle of two big cities that a lot of our sports revolved around,” she said.

“The travel was the biggest aspect of a kid growing up there. With my parents, it was travelling on the weekend, during the week, and giving me the ability to play those sports.

“The push to play a lot of different sports growing up was also a really big bonus for me.

“I was involved in nearly every sport under the sun – swimming and soccer were big ones. I even did some tennis and dancing. But if I wasn’t a rugby league player today, I would have fallen into the space of netball.

“It’s a credit to them giving me an opportunity as a young kid to play those sports. It makes me a better footballer today.

“I didn’t play my first rugby league game until I was 15-years-old. I was only a small little girl – only about 65 kilos playing fullback. I just loved it and the opportunity to make rep teams was pretty appealing.

“Once that started to happen, I fell in love with the game … I just loved the game. When I did get the opportunity, I loved it and I was good at it, so when you’re good at something, you tend to want to keep going.

“Obviously it’s a big goal of anyone playing rugby league, is to play State of Origin, and I think the ability to do that in front of someone like your parents is pretty special.

“I’m stoked and they were so happy for me, so proud. It’s a credit to them and all the hard work and sacrifice that families make.

“There will probably be a few emotions (tonight) but that’s what it’s all about.”