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From Suncorp to Sam Kerr: Robinson's viral moment turns heads


From Suncorp to Sam Kerr: Robinson's viral moment turns heads

It's the moment that made the world sit up and take notice.

The moment Julia Robinson channelled Superwoman to leap through the air and make a flying catch to score a spectacular try in Sunday's victory over Samoa.

The act caught the attention of some of the world's biggest athletes, with Matildas star Sam Kerr sharing a clip of the play to her 1.7 million Instagram followers.

Robinson's teammates were quick to sing her praises, co-captain Ali Brigginshaw labelling her an "absolute freak".

The try wasn't a fluke. It was the result of hours on the training paddock practicing leaping takes, with a bit of natural athleticism thrown in.

"I knew it was fifth and last and in training we did a few of those cross-field kicks and when Jesse (Southwell) kicked it... I actually didn't know if I was going to make it because it was quite deep," Robinson said.

"But I just pinned the ears back and I was happy I got it."

The try was Robinson's 20th at international level, taking her past Isabelle Kelly as the Jillaroos' all-time leading try scorer.

The outside back grew up playing netball before taking up rugby league while serving in the Australian Defence Force.

Robinson hasn't looked back, developing into one of the biggest names in the rugby league. Now she's gone viral, the 27-year-old is set to become one of the biggest names in world sport.

For Jillaroos coach Jess Skinner, it's an opportunity to expose a new legion of fans to the skill, physicality and athleticism in women's rugby league.

"I think that when you watch her you can see what women do in sport... what women can do in this sport," Skinner said.

"She, by far, is one of the best wingers in the game and she's wanted to bring a bit more athleticism. We spoke about it in Vegas and then she's done it in the centres for the Broncos this season. She's an inspiration."

Jillaroos co-captain Kezie Apps agreed.

"I was on the right side and saw that, all of the airtime," Apps said.

"It was just incredible to watch. I said 'you were very brave' because obviously there's a lot of things that could go wrong with that. But she just obviously worked really hard and she does a lot of practice with that sort of stuff."

Robinson has enjoyed a spectacular year, shifting from the wing to the centres and playing a key role in Brisbane's NRLW premiership victory.

The back was named Dally M Centre of the Year and came within a whisker of winning the Dally M Medal before being pipped by Broncos teammate Tamika Upton.

While she starred in the centres for Brisbane, Robinson has returned to the wing for the Jillaroos' Pacific Championships campaign. It's a position she has made her own in the last few years and the 27-year-old was thrilled to partner with Kelly on the left edge.

"When Jess told me I'd be back on the wing, I was actually really excited," Robinson said.

"I love playing with Izzy. She's a fantastic player herself, so I just knew I just had to do my job for the team and just catch the balls, run hard and finish tries. So I just kept it simple and did what I knew I had to do it."

The Australians were clinical in Sunday's win over Samoa, running in 11 tries to secure a 60-0 victory.

The match presented a unique atmosphere for the Jillaroos. While they were technically the home team, the crowd of 30,842 fans at Suncorp Stadium was heavily weighted in Samoa's favour.

The Australian side is expecting another hostile environment this weekend when they travel to Auckland to play New Zealand at Eden Park.

While the Kiwi Ferns survived a scare against Samoa earlier in the tournament, Robinson said her team must be at their best to come away with the win.

"I feel like we have such an incredible team and we just need to keep it simple," Robinson said.

"We know we all have heaps of talent and we know what we can do, so we just need to keep it simple and let everyone shine.

"It's going to be another tough game, for sure. New Zealand, they're second in the world. We know they had a tough game last week (only beating Samoa by two in their first Pacific Championships clash). They got the win, but it was a bit of a battle for them, so I know they're going to turn up bigger and better against us.

"I feel like it's always like a grand final feeling when we play in New Zealand.

"They're going to turn up aggressive, and we know they're going to play the best footy against us, so we just have to prepare for whatever they throw at us... we just need to focus on ourselves."

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