Amazing Grace

Grace Kemp was living on her family’s sheep and grain property at Harden, 140km west of north Canberra, and playing rugby for Harden Red Devils when she found out that it wasn’t allowed - 16-year-olds were too young for the women’s competition, apparently.

Her coach, Lou McCabe, had connections with Royals. Soon enough Kemp was playing U/16s with Ella Ryan and Ainsley Scrivener.

And Kemp and mum Kirsty got to know Burley Griffin Way, the Barton Highway and the old Cotter Road.

“Mum bought me across three times a week, twice for training and Saturdays for games,” Kemp says. It
was 100 minutes in, 100 minutes out. It was 10 hours on the road. It was 850km a week.

Safe to say she enjoyed her rugby. She did that for three years. She got her driver’s license. She moved to Canberra. She studied primary school teaching at Canberra University.

Dougal Whitton, as he often had, went to work. Kemp is a Wiradjuri woman and Whitton organised that she be granted a scholarship through Royals’ Indigenous Opportunity Program with assistance from the Calleo Foundation.

“I was studying at University and it was some extra support,” Kemp says. “It was like a living away from home allowance, a relocation allowance. I used it pretty much whilst I was playing for the Wallaroos at the [2021] World Cup [in Auckland].

“I couldn’t work at the time as well and we weren’t really getting paid. It didn’t really cover the cost of living.

“The scholarship helped me a lot. And it was just a nice thing for the club to do. There’s no other clubs that do it. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I was without them.”

Where did she get? The hard-charging No.8 and occasional lock forward was twice named Louise Ferris Medallist as the outstanding player in Premier Rugby. There were four seasons of Super W with the Brumbies. There were six Test matches for Australia.

Kemp was in Wagga Wagga early in 2022, preparing for a trial against Melbourne Rebels, when the NRL’s All-Stars match was broadcast on television. She decided then that she wanted to be part of it.

“Sitting there watching the All Stars game last year, I just thought it was absolutely amazing,” Kemp told NRL.com.

Just imagining being able to play a sport that you love and represent your culture while playing against another special culture, it was just awesome to see.”

When the pros came calling, Kemp was all ears.

Kemp had represented her people through games with the Lloyd McDermott squad, but said it “was kind of the only pathway you had to connect with culture.”

“We went to Brisbane and connected with elders and land down there and played in the National Sevens Competition against different states, so it was a great opportunity to represent culture and footy,” Kemp said.

“But there was nothing to help me keep learning and stay in touch with my culture as I got older.

“Having senior Indigenous girls and boys to look up to in All Stars is huge and I think that’s where rugby union is lacking a lot.”

Union’s loss, league’s gain. And on 30 July, 2023, The Daily Telegraph opened a match report thus: “The Canberra Raiders unearthed another flame-haired cult hero in forward Grace Kemp during the home team’s upset 24-14 win over Sydney Roosters at GIO Stadium on Saturday.

“In just her second ever game of rugby league, the 22-year-old, 187-centimetre rugby convert and six-Test Wallaroo, drew comparisons with ‘Big Red’ Corey Horsbugh with 121 run metres, 10 tackle breaks, four offloads and a try.”

Raiders coach Darrin Borthwick said Kemp “could be anything.”

“When I looked at Grace about four months ago, playing a different code... what she did in rugby union and what she’s doing for us now is exactly why I brought her here,” Borthwick said.

Kemp attributes her success to Royals.

“I definitely wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today. I wouldn’t have made the teams I am in today without the support of Royals. The skills on the field but also the people skills … hanging out with different teams and different people,” Kemp says.

“Everything that I’ve learned about being a good person off the field came from being at Royals. It’s great if you’re a great athlete, but I think you learn more when you’re off the field and the people that you hang out around.

“There’s not just one type of person at Royals. It’s like a big family full of different personalities. Everyone’s from everywhere. It’s like a country football team; people of different ages, men and women, all pushing towards the same. It’s a community, a big family.”

This has been provided as an excerpt from Blue Bloods by Matt Cleary - if you would like to purchase a copy of the book, click here