Laishon Albert-Jones was inundated with messages after the shocking dumping tackle she was involved in on Sunday.
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The Knights NRLW forward was lifted and tipped onto her head early in the second half of Newcastle's 38-4 win over Parramatta.
Video replays of the incident left viewers and players and staffers alike fearing the worst.
A new recruit at the Knights making just her second NRLW appearance, Albert-Jones said the tackle "happened really fast" and she "didn't even know what was going on".
It wasn't until after the game that the 25-year-old, a niece of Warriors great Stacey Jones, understood just how dangerous it was.
"I didn't think it was that bad until I'd seen I was pretty much upside down," she said.
"But I guess that's footy, stuff like that does happen. Not everything is going to be perfect.
"I'm just happy that I got out of it OK."
Eels skipper Kennedy Cherrington was sent off for the tackle, becoming just the second player to be marched in NRLW history.
But her remorse was evident in her initial and subsequent reaction.
"She said sorry to me on the field and again when I was jumping on the bus," Albert-Jones said.
"She didn't mean it all."
Cherrington was referred straight to the judiciary, and copped a four-game ban - the competition's longest ever.
Albert-Jones, meanwhile, who remarkably played on without drama, has had no problems since and is set to face the Gold Coast at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
She had only just returned to the side after missing the previous game due to concussion, which she suffered from a nasty head knock in round one playing lock in place of injured skipper Hannah Southwell.
With Southwell now back in the side, Albert-Jones has dropped to the bench and coach Ronald Griffiths has indicated she is likely to spend time in the back row.
"He messaged me and said: 'Can you play second row?' I was like, 'Yeah sweet as, I'll play wherever you need me to play'," the proud Kiwi said.
"I will probably slot into different positions. Hopefully get the chance to play some minutes at lock if she gets tired. I'm just happy to be here and get my chance if I do."
Prior to this year, Albert-Jones played in Auckland's club competition.
The league's 2021 player of the year, she was picked to play for New Zealand in a mid-year Test last year and then made the squad for the World Cup in England in November.
But with an NRLW opportunity yet to present itself, she made the decision to move to Australia earlier this year to play in the NSW Women's Premiership.
It paid off in more than one way with her Sydney club Mounties winning the title and Albert-Jones landing a two-year deal at the Knights.
"I didn't think it was going to happen in the first year. I thought it might be a couple of years until I got a chance in NRLW," she said.
"Back home, you just don't get much of a look in here for NRLW. There's been, maybe, one or two picked up from our club competition."
Albert-Jones was one of about six Kiwis who converted a state league opportunity into an NRLW deal. She credits her partner for pushing her to make the move.
"My partner told me I had to leave and give it a go. She kicked me out of the house. See you later," the humorous Kiwi said.
But Albert-Jones has impressed in her short time at the Knights, and Griffiths didn't hesitate in starting her in the season opener.
One of multiple recruits living in Newcastle temporarily, she said the move abroad and her first professional season had been a challenging but rewarding journey so far.
"I'm pretty stoked and proud of myself," Albert-Jones said.
"It's been very different for me.
"It's the first time I've been away from my family. I've got no one else here. It's just me and myself, so a lot of learnings for quickly growing up."
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