Dragons poach three Maroons for inaugural women’s NRL
AS the women’s NRL signing window comes to a close, St George Illawarra have pulled off a coup in luring three elite Maroons players to the club from under Brisbane’s nose.
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AS the women’s NRL signing window comes to a close, St George Illawarra have pulled off a coup in luring three elite Maroons players to the club from under Brisbane’s nose.
In a huge boost for their inaugural squad, Queensland’s 2018 players’ player Annette Brander has signed along with fellow Maroons Asipau Mafi and Kate Haren.
Brander’s standout performance in Origin was all the more impressive given she was contacted by the Dragons the day she went into camp.
Her ability to shake off the “overwhelming” week and deliver against NSW then caught the eye of Brisbane’s coaching staff.
Brander had the option of staying and playing in the NRL at home or moving south to Wollongong.
She decided the challenge, and sticking with the club that showed interest first, was best for her.
“I know the coach (Dragons) Daniel [Lacey], he coached me in my first ever rep team at All Stars in 2014,’’ Brander said.
“He contacted me first and was really keen, and the whole way they were going to help me look for a house with a few other girls. They were really accommodating.
“I’m not really someone who likes big changes. I’ll probably normally go for the easy option, so I thought it was a really good opportunity for me to get out of my comfort zone and go somewhere I’m not really familiar with.”
Brander will take leave without pay from her job as a legal assistant for the seven weeks she’s in Wollongong from the middle of next month and live with some of her new teammates.
“I’m hoping it’s a Dragons-Broncos grand final, that would be pretty exciting,” she said.
“I’ve got some of my best mates playing for the Broncos.”
DRAGONS’ 2018 SQUAD TO DATE: Kezie Apps, Talia Atfield, Annette Brander, Sam Bremner, Georgina Brooker, Teina Clark, Keeley Davis, Kate Haren, Honey Hireme, Rikeya Horne, Asipau Mafi, Raecene McGregor, Talesha Quinn, Oneata Schwalger, Anneka Stephens, Jessica Sergis, Hannah Southwell, Shakiah Tungai, Holli Wheeler.