The Australian Jillaroos went down in the final of the World Cup 9s to New Zealand on Saturday night, but two Far South Coast stars are up for more. With Bega's Kezie Apps co-captaining the side and Cobargo's Millie Boyle leading from the forward pack, the Ferns got the early jump and never let off to take down the Australian roster. However, the Jillaroos will meet the Ferns again on Friday in a full 80-minute Test match at WIN Stadium. "It was disappointing to go down in the final, we were happy with how we played over the weekend up until that game," Boyle told NRL.com. "It's not that we were complacent but New Zealand dug deep and shook us from the beginning." The Jillaroos had earned a grand final spot after an undefeated run including a 22-8 win over the Ferns on Friday before successive results over England and Papua New Guinea. The final was a close game, boiling down to a two-point spread with NZ getting up 17-15 over the Aussies in a match where co-captain Apps had been among the try-scorers. Boyle said she had been shocked to get the national call-up, which will make her a dual national, with the Jillaroos jumper coming just a few weeks after her maiden NRLW campaign. However, Boyle said she was loving the challenge and was excited to stay active in both codes. "Everyone from league to union is still supportive at the moment," Boyle said. "As long as it's not clashing and interrupting seasons or international games then it's pretty good - for now it's pretty bloody awesome to be able to juggle. I think 90 percent of my life is footy. I love being around a group of girls and everyone from the coaching staff to reserve players." Both Apps and Boyle were instrumental for the Jillaroos and are now looking forward to backing up for the Test outing against the Ferns on Friday. Apps told the NRL it was incredible to see the development of the women's game. "It's come such a long way. We were looking at footage the other day, we were watching the games of how we used to play it and it's changed so much," she said. Coach Brad Arthur praised her as one of just six players in 2017 who were working on strength and conditioning, now integral for the top contenders. "We've been pretty lucky with the strength and conditioning coaches through the Jillaroos ... You can see in the games a lot more athleticism in the girls and our build, different body shapes." It was the first time Apps had contested 9s since breaking her leg against the Ferns in the Auckland 9s in 2017.
