Blues star Jaime Chapman insists she’s lost none of her speed despite suffering a spinal fracture just two months ago while scoring a try for the Indigenous All Stars in Sydney.
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Chapman will line up on the wing for NSW on Thursday night in game one of the women’s State of Origin series at Suncorp Stadium, with fans south of the border hoping she can replicate last year’s stunning solo try in the series opener.
Her blistering pace allowed her to torch the Queensland defence as she raced 85 metres to score, and her freaky injury from the All Stars clash won’t slow her down if she gets into the clear again.
Chapman suffered the injury when she copped some accidental knees in the back while scoring a try, with scans the following day revealing a fracture which forced her into a lengthy rehab process that had her racing the clock to be fit for Origin.
“I played the All Stars and got an injury so I’ve been in rehab,” she said.
“I got through my rehab and am ready to play. I’m all good now. My body is feeling good and my back’s great.
“It (the injury) definitely sounded scarier than what it was. When you hear spine fracture, you probably freak out a little bit, and I did freak out when I heard the news.
“But I knew that I was going to be sweet. I could move and my function was fine, but it was just a slow recovery and slow rehab process.
“It started with very slow running and then straight into contact. I’ve been doing 100 per cent contact the past few weeks leading into camp.”
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Chapman will be a key weapon for a Blues side that won in Brisbane last year but dropped the next two games to the Maroons.
There’s a clear hunger in the playing group who want to make a statement on the road in a bid to avoid a repeat of what happened 12 months ago.
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“We definitely want to come up here and start off the series with a good win and bring the trophy back to where it belongs in the Blues facility,” she declared.
“We definitely want to win game one and make a statement.”
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