Hippi shakes nerves to deliver for her mob in epic debut

For a teenager on NRLW debut, being asked to shift from centre to fullback to cover for one of the game's superstars could have been a daunting prospect.

For Titans development player and proud Indigenous woman Phoenix-Raine Hippi, it was just another challenge to be embraced.

The game was 50 minutes old when Jaime Chapman was forced off with an ankle injury. The unbeaten Roosters had the game well in hand and Hippi was on a hiding to nothing moving to fullback.

But the support of her family - and a healthy dose of self-belief - ensured the final 20 minutes at Cbus Super Stadium will live long in her memory.

“I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be... I felt pretty confident in myself because I was confident in my team, because I have a great bunch of girls, especially on my edge, they’re a talented bunch," she said.

“I’m feeling stoked... such great timing to be able to debut in Indigenous Round, as a proud Indigenous woman.

“And a home game as well meant a lot of my family could come because they’re all from Northern Rivers and from inland area.

"I had a whole heap of mob here scattered around… it was pretty great.”

In her first game back from an ankle injury suffered playing for Queensland Under 19s in June, Hippi produced five tackle breaks, 69 run metres and a try to announce herself on the big stage.

“I was thrown in at the deep end because I haven't really trained much at fullback so it was kind of scary, but then I was like, ‘I have to lock in… I have to do it for my girls’,” she said.

“At first, I was a bit overwhelmed, because I haven't had this much attention on me before, but my mum called me and she was like, ‘turn your phone off, no distractions’.

“All the love that I've been receiving, especially from my mob, helped me push through all my nerves and anxiety. They all gave me strength.

“I thought I might drop a few balls at fullback but I got a try on debut in front of my family. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just did that’ and I could hear my family in the background, too.

“It was pretty special for my grandparents to come and watch me because I they’ve barely watched me play and I'm glad I showed up for them.

“I'm aiming for the stars. I am aiming for Queensland, Australia, Indigenous All Stars. You know, only the best… that's what I hope to achieve in the future.”