England Women star Hollie-Mae Dodd has become the first English player to sign a contract in the NRLW after penning a deal with the Canberra Raiders.
The 19-year-old second-rower, arrives at the club ahead of their inaugural NRLW season from Betfred Women's Super League side York Valkyrie, where she was crowned as the competition’s Young Player of the Year in 2022.
Her debut season at York also saw the club win the 2022 League Leaders’ Shield, the inaugural Women’s Nines and reach the Grand Final for the first time.
Regarded as one of the hottest prospects in women’s rugby league, Dodd has enjoyed a stellar rise in the sport after becoming the youngest player ever to play in a Challenge Cup final, after playing for the Castleford Tigers as a 16-year-old back in 2019.
Dodd further enhanced her growing reputation with an impressive run of performances at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup as her two tries in four matches helped England reach an historic Semi Final.
Commenting on the move, plus her time at York, Dodd said: “I am super grateful and excited to be on board at Canberra. I've heard so many good things about the city and I'm more than looking forward to representing the badge.
“I knew now was the time for a challenge within myself therefore, coming over and playing in the NRLW I'm ready to learn off world class athletes to help my development within the game.
“Training and playing as a professional athlete in the sport I have love for has been a dream of mine ever since being a child.
“I’ve loved my time at York and last year was the best season of my rugby career, winning the League Leaders’ Shield.
“As soon as I arrived at York, the girls were really welcoming and I will miss them a lot. But this opportunity, to play in Australia, which has been one of my life-long dreams, was one that I couldn’t turn down.”
Raiders Head Coach Darrin Borthwick added: “I obviously watched a fair bit of the World Cup and Hollie was a good performer for England.
“We’ve had a few Zoom calls with her and she fits the mould to what we want here as well. She’s a really good person and she was really good to talk to and to top it all off she’s a good player as well.
Dodd remains available for selection as the Valkyrie host St Helens at the LNER Community Stadium on Sunday 14 April (13:00 kick-off), with the match being shown live on The Sportsman's YouTube channel.
