Najvada George
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | 21 February 1999|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 86 kg (13 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: RLP As of 19 December 2024 |
Najvada George (born 21 February 1999) is a New Zealand rugby league footballer and former basketball player who plays for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL Women's Premiership.
Primarily a prop, she has represented New Zealand, and previously played for the St George Illawarra Dragons, Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers in the NRL Women's Premiership.
Background
Born in Melbourne, George was a basketball player before making the switch to rugby league. In the 2015–16 season, she played for the Dandenong Rangers in the WNBL and represented the Australian Sapphires under-17 side.[1][2]
George played her junior rugby league for Werribee Bears in the Melbourne Rugby League. Her aunt, Selena Edmonds, represented New Zealand from 1997 to 2003, winning two World Cups.[3]
Playing career
In 2017, George began playing rugby league for the Werribee Bears. In June 2018, she represented the Combined Affiliated States at the Women's National Championships.[4] On 6 October 2018, she represented the Prime Minister's XIII in their 40–4 win over Papua New Guinea.[5]
In 2019, George moved to Sydney and joined the Wests Tigers NSWRL Women's Premiership side. At the end of the season, she won the club's Player of the Year award.[6]
In May 2019, she represented NSW City at the Women's National Championships.[7] In July 2019, she joined the St. George Illawarra Dragons Women NRL Women's Premiership team.[8]
In Round 2 of the 2019 NRL Women's season, she made her debut in the Dragons' 26–6 win over the New Zealand Warriors.[9] On 6 October 2019, she came off the bench in the Dragons' 6–30 Grand Final loss to the Brisbane Broncos.[10]
In March 2020, she was ruled out for the season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).[11]
In 2022, George joined the Parramatta Eels, playing six games for the club. In 2023, she moved to the Wests Tigers, playing 18 games over two seasons and representing New Zealand six times.[12][13][14]
On 18 December 2024, George signed with the North Queensland Cowboys on a three-year contract.[15]
References
- ^ "Dad's advice to Dragons NRLW gun Najvada George: rugby league girls don't cry". The Daily Telegraph. 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Najvada George - Player profile". Dandenong Rangers.
- ^ "By George: Ferns star following in footsteps of pioneering aunt". NRL. 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Women's Nationals the perfect Origin appetiser". NRL. 29 May 2018.
- ^ "Australian PM's XIII Women's squad". QRL. 26 September 2018.
- ^ "2019 Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership Season Awards". Wests Tigers. 10 September 2019.
- ^ "Line-ups named for Women's National Championships". NRL. 22 May 2019.
- ^ "Finalised Dragons 2019 Women's Premiership signing tracker". St George Illawarra Dragons. 2 July 2019.
- ^ "NRLW 24-hour warning: Round 2 v Warriors". St George Illawarra Dragons. 21 September 2019.
- ^ "NRLW grand final preview". NRL. 6 October 2019.
- ^ "NRLW Signings Tracker: Squads finalised ahead of third season". NRL. 30 September 2020.
- ^ "NRLW Eels squad analysis and best 17". NRL. 10 August 2022.
- ^ "NRLW Players: Najvada George". Wests Tigers. 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Jillaroos thrash NZ to win rugby league's Pacific Cup". ESPN. 10 November 2024.
- ^ "Kiwi Ferns duo join Cowboys". NQ Cowboys. 18 December 2024.