When Jordan Neal packed her hopes, belongings and two dogs into her pickup truck and left Townsville last December, there were no guarantees.
She was on the road to Brisbane to do her best to force whatever chances she could in the Queensland Reds women’s squad.
Just making the squad was the first step. After a tough pre-season of toil and learning, two strong trial games followed as auditions.
Come Sunday afternoon, Neal will earn her first cap as a Reds prop against the ACT Brumbies at Ballymore Stadium in Swyftx Super Rugby Women’s.
“I left Townsville because I wanted to have a genuine crack at getting ahead in rugby and get out of my comfort zone,” Neal said.
“I’m so grateful for the help getting a posting in Brisbane.”
The Lance Corporal in the Australian Defence Force is now based at the Enoggera Barracks after eight years in the army in Townsville.
“Bree-Anna has been great with all the stuff I’ve had to learn in the front-row. The same goes with Tanya and Eva,” Neal said.
“The set-up, patience to execute well, the hit…I’ve felt the improvements through training and our two trials.”
Neal was referring to Bree-Anna Browne, Tanya Kalounivale and Eva Karpani, all international props with vastly more experience.
“The Reds is a great mix of experience and the new. The level-heads are in there with the more frantic and keep heads calm,” Neal said.
Neal had a taste of the higher level in a non-cap game for the Reds at the Santos Festival of Rugby in Narrabri last September.
“That definitely gave me a taste of the environment and wanting more,” Neal said.
“The difference just being in that environment more often has made a big difference.
“I’m your old school ‘get the ball and carry hard type’. Just improving my tackle technique, my passing and aspects of my set piece make me feel like my whole game is improving.”
Those traits of discipline, teamwork and ripping into a physical job that need to shine in rugby are the same ones she works by in the army.
She gets to share that strong ADF-rugby connection with Corporal Sarah Riordan, Sergeant Browne, Lance Corporal Deni Ross and Lieutenant Ella Hopper, who are all in the Reds women’s squad.
Ross will be in the starting pack with her on Sunday. Browne will come off the bench.
