Last time the Orchids played in a Rugby League World Cup in 2017, Shellie Long was lining up against them (for the Far North Queensland All Stars in a pre-tournament warm-up match).
Despite being born in Port Moresby, the 22-year-old moved to Australia as a young child and did not grow up with PNG influences, so it had not crossed her mind that by the time of the next RLWC she could be playing for the Orchids.
But it was a conversation with NRLW St George Illawarra Dragons teammate Elsie Albert (Shellie was in the Dragons NRLW squad for the 2021 season) that persuaded her to explore representing her birthplace.
Shellie explains: “Elsie came up to me and said, ‘I heard you were born in PNG, perhaps you could be a future Orchid?’. We went out for dinner, she told me about PNG and what it’s like to play for the Orchids, and she spent the rest of the Dragons season telling everyone that I’d play for the Orchids one day!”
Despite not debuting for the Dragons, Shellie moved back to Brisbane to continue playing in the QRLW, alongside work and studying criminology and criminal justice.
A few months later, Santos PNG Orchids coach Ben Jeffries got in touch, by which time Shellie had decided that she wanted to follow Elsie’s advice and represent PNG.
“It feels right to reconnect with my PNG heritage in this way,” she reflects. “There’s a lot to learn because I never grew up around my PNG heritage (Western Province) and I don’t have any contact with the PNG side of my family. But I’m keen to go there now – hearing all the positive stories from the girls, I’m keen to go and see PNG.
“It has been so cool learning Tok Pisin during this RLWC campaign. I’ve realised that PNG is a very modest and humble country that is very proud of its people. The amount of support we have had is amazing.”
Credit: Santos PNG Orchids