Off-field impact: Why Robinson stands tall in Defence

When Julia Robinson stood proudly and recited the Ode in front of 40,000 fans in ANZAC Round she was representing the Australian Defence Force, the Brisbane Broncos and most importantly, her family.

Prior to becoming a star of the women’s game and representing both Queensland and the Jillaroos, Lance Corporal Robinson joined the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in 2017 and has served for seven years while also fulfilling her rugby league commitments.

“It was a huge honour to read the Ode in ANZAC Round. Not only was it at my club’s home ground [Suncorp Stadium] but it really brought all my worlds together,” Robinson told NRL.com

“Both of my careers are quite similar to me in some ways, particularly in the values like teamwork, working hard and being resilient.

“So it was a great honour to represent the Defence Force, the Broncos and represent my family too.

“My mum is still a serving Defence member and my dad was in the army as well. I’ve lived the army life my whole life and it’s very much a part of me.” 

While her commitment to the NRLW season has grown with the competition expanding to 12 teams in 2025, the Broncos winger still spends her off-season driving trucks for the ADF out of Brisbane’s Transport Unit.

“I’m currently enlisted as a driver specialist - our role is to support the other units when we go on task,” Robinson said.

“It was easier to balance the two when I first started playing footy in 2019 and we only had four teams [in the competition]. But now that we have a lot more footy throughout the year it has been slightly more challenging.

“Focusing on both careers can be a juggle. For me, I love being an athlete and that’s what I am putting my focus into at the moment and I’m very lucky the Defence Force has been so supportive of my rugby league career.

“It’s really important to me that I also help promote career opportunities in Defence and show people that you can play sport and pursue a career which is why I keep my foot in the door with the Defence.”

It’s the ADF to which Robinson said she owes her rugby league success, having been scouted at the National Championships tournament in 2018 playing for the Australian Defence Force side.

With a background in netball, Robinson began her first season playing rugby league with the Broncos in 2018 and has gone on to play 41 NRLW games, 10 Origins and eight Test matches not just through natural ability but sheer dedication and an appreciation for punctuality and presentation. 

“I was definitely nervous when I was signed at the Broncos and really wanted to make the most of the opportunity so I just worked really hard in those first years to learn the game,” she said.

“I’m very much a lead by actions person in both my careers and that’s how I hope to be a role model for the next generation.

"I’ve been very physical my whole life and I guess I use my physical standards to show that we can be footballers and we can be Defence Force members too.

“We got drilled into us in our Defence training about being on time, how we present ourselves and it’s the same when you’re representing a club. We have to be on time, wear the right uniform and wear it with pride.

“Being a role model for me, it’s about holding a high standard. How we present ourselves at training… even though we might still have a big workday before, we still have to get the job done and put in 100 per cent at everything we do.”