Wallaroo Grace Kemp takes chance to be part of Canberra Raiders NRLW history

Talk about dedication. Grace Kemp is giving up the chance to play for her country to be part of Canberra Raiders history - in a game she's never played. Kemp was one of the two latest Raiders NRLW signings, along with Black Fern Cheyelle Robins-Reti, announced on Wednesday. She could've been in camp with the Wallaroos, preparing to play Fiji at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday, but instead she's getting ready for her first NRLW pre-season - which starts Monday week. Kemp made her Wallaroos debut against Canada last year and could be in the process of adding to her six caps She will begin her life as a codehopper a month after she was part of the ACT Brumbies' Super W campaign, which ended with a narrow loss to the Queensland Reds in the semi-final. The 21-year-old said it was a tough decision, but she wanted to be part of history and the Green Machine's inaugural NRLW campaign. "It was hard. That's the first camp I hadn't been part of, but I think me knowing I made that decision for myself it made it a bit easier and I've had a lot of support from those girls," Kemp said. "They know that I'm doing what's right for me and that's made it all easier. "Those girls play this weekend and I'm still supporting them, but I'm also on my own journey - it's pretty exciting." Robins-Reti was also making the switch from rugby union, having been part of the New Zealand sevens and 15s programs. The 26-year-old was part of the Matatu side that won the Super Rugby Aupiki premiership in March. She's still in New Zealand, but will arrive in Canberra sometime over the next fortnight. Kemp hoped she'd be able to continue switching between rugby league and rugby union, with the two domestic seasons currently not overlapping. But she was unsure how long it could continue given the growth in women's sport. "I'm hoping to, but I think I'll just take it as it goes and learn from those around me and slowly settle in," Kemp said. "[Simaima Taufa's] in the team and I've learnt so much off her already, so hopefully I pick up a few things that she's learnt at that level and see how it goes from there. MORE RAIDERS NEWS "Everything's changing, it's really growing for women and it's exciting to see where it all goes." Kemp revealed she'd never played rugby league, but has been watching as many NRL games as she could to begin her education. A No.8 or lock in union, she'll likely play prop in league - not surprising given she's 1.87 metres tall and 96 kilograms of wrecking ball. "The chance to try something new, but also to be part of history and to start something new, to be part of a team like the Raiders is such an honour," she said. "The culture that surrounds the players and the club, the team around us, is huge and being part of that really opened my eyes to what I could be part of. That made it all easier to make the decision." NRL ROUND 12 Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Manly Sea Eagles at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm. Raiders squad: 1. Sebastian Kris, 2. Albert Hopoate, 3. Jarrod Croker (C), 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Tom Starling, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (C), 13. Corey Horsburgh. Interchange: 14. Danny Levi, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Pasami Saulo, 17. Ata Mariota. Reserves: 18. James Schiller, 19. Hohepa Puru, 20. Brad Schneider, 21. Corey Harawira-Naera, 22. Nick Cotric. Sea Eagles squad: 1. Tom Trbojevic, 2. Jason Saab, 3. Brad Parker, 4. Tolutau Koula, 5. Reuben Garrick, 6. Josh Schuster, 7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c), 8. Taniela Paseka, 9. Lachlan Croker, 10. Sean Keppie, 11. Haumole Olakau'atu, 12. Ben Trbojevic, 13. Jake Trbojevic. Interchange: 14. Karl Lawton, 15. Samuela Fainu, 16. Ethan Bullemor, 17. Ben Condon. Reserves: 18. Kaeo Weekes, 19. Morgan Harper, 20. Cooper Johns, 21. Morgan Boyle, 22. Gordon Chan Kum Tong. We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.