Jess O'Brien dusts off Police Country jersey in return to league

This, she said, is due to the years she spent playing the sport as a youngster, and she revisited those memories on Sunday as a member of the NSW Country Women's Police team which took on the NSW City team at Sydney's Leichhardt Oval.

Since 2020, O'Brien has made a name for herself as a key player in the Tamworth Swans women's team, and was made captain of the side in 2022.

But there is something about the competitive allure of representative league that she cannot resist.

"I'll keep trying out as long as they keep taking me," O'Brien said.

"I love it, I love rep footy. It's on a whole different level, it's really good."

O'Brien was one of five Country North players selected on the basis of her performance in the inaugural NSW State Police Carnival women's competition, which was held in Tamworth last month.

Ahead of Sunday's game, O'Brien spent the week at a training camp in Sydney. Though she was unable to play for the Swans on Saturday due to her representative duties, O'Brien was still involved in the game planning.

"They got their first win of the season on the weekend, and it was so hard to get them prepped while I was in Sydney," she said.

"[Madison Sharp] took the lead well and brought it home with the win."

The training camp was time well spent, as O'Brien and the rest of the Country women scored a decisive 14-0 win over their City opponents.

Having won the 2021 match, O'Brien knew that this year's team could pull off the same result.

"We had a bit of an inkling coming into it, but we knew that this team was not the same team we played last year," she said.

"We thought we'd get more of a fight out of them this year, but I think we were just stronger and dominated."

With her sons, Jedd and Darcy, watching on, O'Brien and the Country women scored a momentous win. And though she wasn't named in the NSW Police team to play Queensland as the curtain-raiser to the State of Origin next month, she intends to keep pushing for selection in future seasons.

"I don't do anything half-arsed," O'Brien said.

"If I'm there to play, I'm there to win and a Blues jersey would be icing on the cake."

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