Rory Owen has opened up on the hospital stint that forced her out of Game Three of the State of Origin series as she prepares to return to Newcastle for the first time since an infection left her hospitalised.
An infected salivary gland left the 21-year-old with severe jaw pain and unable to eat and she was forced to watch the Maroons' victory from her hospital bed after she was rushed to Sydney for treatment.
With Owen's face swelling up, the decision was made to fly from Newcastle to Sydney and she was quickly admitted to St Vincents Hospital.
Now, as she prepares to return to McDonald Jones Stadium for the inaugural NRLW Magic Round, the emerging talent has opened up on the scary ordeal.
Rory Owen Try
"I had a massive swollen jaw and everyone wanted to take photos of me," Owen told ljmpta.com. "I was pretty devastated so it's one of those things I try not to think about.
"It was hard to watch it from hospital but I love Queensland and I love what they did so I was really happy for the girls. They facetimed me after the game when they sung the song so I still felt part of the team and I love that they got the win.
"Game Two was pretty tough for me so I wanted to come out in Game Three and show I was ready for Origin. It might have been my first series but I wanted to show it's where I belong. It was pretty hard not to get that redemption but I've taken that drive back to the Eels."
Match: Eels v Dragons
Round 5 -
home Team
Eels
5th Position
away Team
Dragons
9th Position
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
While the infection prevented Owen from taking to McDonald Jones Stadium for the Maroons, the youngster will get a shot at redemption when she returns to the venue for another marquee fixture.
This time she'll be wearing blue and gold when the Eels take on the Dragons in the final game of Magic Round.
What a chase by Rory Owen
Parramatta are eager to bounce back from last week's loss to the Knights as they look to continue an impressive start to the season.
Owen has experienced a meteoric rise in the past 12 months after making her NRLW debut at the start of last season. She was rewarded for a breakout rookie year with selection in the Prime Minister's XIII side for the end-of-season clash in Port Moresby.
The centre was then called up for Queensland's State of Origin series and has carried that form into this year's club campaign.
Owen on top
"I met a lot of my footy heroes in the Maroons camp," Owen said. "Tarryn Aiken is so inspirational, then Julia Robinson was my wing and she's so tough.
"Being in a team where you look left and right at every girl and look up to all of them shows you what you want to bring back to your team and the player you want to be in your club team.
"Coming off the back of Origin I feel much more confident than last year. It's my second season now and I've found myself a bit more and am more confident talking to the girls and pumping them up."
The Eels have received a major boost for Sunday's clash with St George Illawarra, with NSW star Kennedy Cherrington to make her return from a knee injury.
Cherrington also suffered the injury in Newcastle and will return to McDonald Jones Stadium for the first time this weekend.
Kennedy Cherrington Try
The 29-year-old has been named to come off the bench and is eager to make her first appearance for the Eels in nearly 12 months.
"I'm so grateful to be healed and ready to go," Cherrington said. "It's been 337 days since I took the field in a Parramatta jersey.
"I'm just worried about getting through this week and hoping I'll be ready to play come Magic Round. I'm really excited because every Parra fan knows I bleed blue and gold."
