First year Diesel Fitter apprentice joins the U19's Women's State of Origin

If you can’t wait for game two of the NRL State of Origin there’s good news. The Ampol Women’s State of Origin is on its way with Queensland chasing their first back-to-back win on home soil.

Joining the days line up will be the Queensland Under 19 clash. It will feature some of the country’s leading emerging talent and will be the curtain-raiser for the Women’s State of Origin match on June 25 at Sunshine Coast Stadium.

One of those leading emerging talents selected for the Under 19s squad also happens to work at Hastings Deering.

Zoe Cook is a Hastings Deering first year Diesel fitter apprentice from Sarina, about 30kms south of Mackay and when she’s not working at Mackay’s CRG cylinder bay, you can find Zoe training with her club Brothers Magpies. 

18-year-old Zoe has been playing rugby league since she was 12. “I started playing for our school team in grade 7. I used to play soccer and AFL and a few other sports but then they bought the comp into school.  All my friends were going to have a go, so I joined in and ended up loving it! 

Zoe has always been active, “My sports background is mainly boxing and muaythai, and I did that up until I was about 14. That was actually my original goal really but I quit it for footy”.

Asked what it is she loves so much about the game Zoe said, “I guess a lot of it is just the community around the sport rugby league. I love the contact aspect; the contact part is great obviously! But then you get to surround yourself with people that have the same interests and views as you and it’s just really good, it makes you feel good, and you get to meet so many people”.

Zoe played for her hometown Sarina Crocs until 2020 before joining Magpies in Mackay. She played for the Under 19 Mackay Cutters who won their comp at the beginning of 2021 and then moved over to the Women’s BHP comp joining the North QLD Toyota Gold stars. It was her most recent stint playing in the Harvey Norman National Championships as a member of the Rubies, one of the Under 19s QLD National Teams, that got her the call up. 

Being noticed by the talent scouts is one thing but getting selected is the real deal. “I’d definitely thought about the possibility of being picked, but I really didn’t think I’d make it this soon! To be selected is amazing and I’m really very grateful and glad that I have been given the opportunity to do this”.

Zoe is passionate about her apprenticeship at Hastings Deering and becoming a diesel fitter and continues to dream about her future in the game, “I definitely hope that over the next few years I can grow up the ladder. The ultimate hope is to play in the NRLW but, at the moment, I’m just trying to slowly take the steps up rather than get there too quickly.”

You can watch the Ampol Women’s State of Origin on the Nine network, 9Now and the NRL app. The clash will take place on Friday, the 25th of June 2021 at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland. Kick-off scheduled for 7:45pm.