Jillaroos rugby league star Kezie Apps has capped a year to remember by taking out the Swoop People's Choice Award for the best female performance of the year.
After helping the NSW Blues end a 17-year Origin drought against Queensland and being named the Dally M Female Player of the Year, Apps beat World Female Sevens Player of the Year Charlotte Caslick, the Australian Women's Sevens team and gold medal-winning modern pentathlon Olympian Chloe Esposito to clinch the People's Choice Award.
"If she was a male, she'd definitely be in the NRL, she'd definitely be playing State of Origin and she'd be one of the highest paid players in the game," is how NSW Women's coach Ben Cross described Apps to NRL.com last year.
"That's the type of athlete she is, and the kind of rugby league player she is.
"In last year's game she had a massive hematoma on her shin and she got stretchered off and with about 15 minutes left to go in the game she is back on the field running terrific lines and making cracking tackles in defence.
"She is not a girl playing rugby league, she is a rugby league player in every essence of the word."
The award is just the latest recognition for Apps, who was stunned when she received her Dally M gong in October.
"Everyone was telling me to make sure I had my speech ready and I was like 'don't be stupid, did you see who was also nominated?'" she said on Dally M night.
"To take out the award, I'm blown away."
This article first appeared on NRL.com
