Crystal Papali'i isn't the first from her family to chase rugby league dreams. Papali'i wants to join her brother Josh playing for the Green Machine after the Canberra Raiders made their NRLW debut this year.
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The 22-year-old moved back to Canberra from Brisbane and playing with the West Belconnen Warriors she's using the Katrina Fanning Shield as a stepping stone to reach the NRLW.
"I am working towards that goal," she told The Canberra Times ahead of the grand final against Yass Magpies on Sunday. "It was the main reason I came down here, to have a crack at the NRLW.
"It's a big part of my family this sport, so it would mean a lot to me to make the NRLW team."
Papali'i played for the Valley Dragons back in 2019, and was named in the 2020 Monaro women's squad.
But she's been playing in Queensland's top state competition recently, where a handful of NRLW Raiders also starred before coming to the capital.
In West Belconnen's first season in the Katrina Fanning Shield, the Warriors have reached the grand final, and Papali'i will be leading in the forward pack to upset the Magpies' quest to claim back-to-back premierships - with some help from Josh.
"We'll watch through games and he'll give me tips on how to improve," Papali'i said. "He gives me a lot of advice."
Magpies front-rower Sami Afele believes Yass have the quality to deny the Warriors their fairytale debut in the competition.
She said the club have several players knocking on the NRLW door following Raiders and former Magpies, Elise Smith and Alanna Dummett.
"I definitely think there's players in our team with aspirations to play for the Raiders," she said.
"It's very exciting that we've got this Raiders women's team, we just have to keep building our comp to get to that level."
AT A GLANCE
Katrina Fanning Shield grand final
Yass Magpies v West Belconnen Warriors at Seiffert Oval, Sunday 12.10pm
Canberra Raiders Cup grand final
Tuggeranong Bushrangers v Queanbeyan Kangaroos at Seiffert Oval, Sunday 3.30pm
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Melanie Dinjaski
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
