Temara roars for the Roosters as focus resets for new season

“I’m exhausted,” Temara said after the game.

“That was a tough one. It was fun to play, but it wasn’t fun to play if you know what I mean?”

As an ‘original’ player who joined the Roosters in the inaugural NRLW season in 2018, Temara has been through the highs and lows of the Roosters, which included losing two prior deciders.

But this year, belief was high they could turn it around, even though it took some luck to secure their place in the finals series.

“It was just hard, and I think because we haven’t won one, there was so much pressure, you know,” Temara said.

“It was funny because I actually called the coach (before the season) and I said ‘nah, we are winning, 100 per cent’ – but that belief did drop in the first two rounds, but we worked on ourselves and I worked on myself and it has been a roller-coaster of a season – but to come off the field and say ‘we did it!'

“Before this game, we were zero from two (in grand finals), even though we felt like we could and we knew we could, it was just tough mentally to get over that.

“We definitely had a bit of luck this year and we don’t really like leaving it to other teams to give us results, but it did happen and we were given a second chance and man.

“We definitely weren’t favourites for a lot of the season, but we used that as motivation and I am just really proud of the girls, and the rookies.

“We have a lot of rookies and even though we are a star-studded team, I do think our rookies stepped up last week and even today, Higgo (Olivia Higgins) going through and sealing it for us, that was just nice.”

Another one of the rookies who stepped up for the tricolours this season was fellow Queenslander Keilee Joseph, who won plenty of admirers in her debut NRLW season for her wholehearted efforts in each game she played.

“She is ridiculous... I honestly wish I had her energy,” Temara said.

“Me being one of the OGs and one of the ‘oldies’, I should be the one leading and I do try to, and she leads by actions every single time she plays and she runs.

“She was one of the ones I was talking about who stepped up (in the semi-final win against Brisbane Broncos) and she is stepping up as soon as she gets on the field, she does not care… as big as the moment is, she just gets on with the job, she just gives 100 per cent.

“She is going to be in the game for a long, long time.”

Both Joseph and Temara had plenty of support on grand final day, with family, friends and team mates all coming to Moreton Daily Stadium to be part of the nearly 8000-strong crowd that attended the event.

“Hell yeah, I loved it,” Temara said of the atmosphere and the support from her people in the crowd.

“Even when the anthem was going, I could hear them and see them, and even when there were little stoppages I could see them everywhere, on each side (of the stadium) and they just gave me a bit of a boost when it was tough, which was the full 70 minutes.”

Third-time lucky with a premiership ring now safely in her keeping, there is not much time to rest for Temara who said she was hoping back with the Roosters for the 2022 NRLW season which starts at the send of this year.

“This club is family to me,” Temara said.

“I get a feeling with the other jerseys, Maroons of course, Jillaroos and Bears, but you know this jersey, I get a different feeling and I just love the people here and I love the jersey and I love the club and I will always come back.”

For now, Temara, and sister Chante, who is also a fellow Rooster, have both been named in the Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons extended squad and are set to return to the Burleigh Bears to play in the BMD Premiership this season.

The competition returns this weekend for Round 4 with the Bears taking on the North Queensland Gold Stars.