Nearing the signing of the first American athlete from the NRL combine
A successful NRL combine the weekend before the two Las Vegas opening games has resulted in one American athlete being signed by an Australian rugby league club.
According to News Corp., the Canberra Raiders will be the first rugby league team to recruit an athlete from the United States out of the combine.
According to the magazine, after making an impression during the combine, the club is now in negotiations with Samoan superstar Liz Tafuna to add her to the Canberra Raiders NRLW team.
She is believed to have impressed club CEO Don Furner more than Millie Boyle did, and she will sign a development deal for the next campaign.
Furner told News Corp., “I told her I would love to have you, and she said yes, I’d be keen.”
We would really want to obtain her, but other clubs might be interested as well.
“After meeting Liz today, we would want to provide her an opportunity if she wants to come. I had previously watched her highlights and emailed them to our coach, Darrin Borthwick. She is a nice little lady.
“When we return to Australia, I will follow up with Liz on the opening on our female roster. With our coach’s help, I would be happy to sign her if she is eager to visit Australia.
“We’ll now carry on our conversation with her. Canberra would be thrilled to sign the first female American player.
In an attempt to land an NRL contract, Tafuna was one of 25 athletes—25 men and 25 women—who attended the NRL combine. Every team sends representatives to the event in an attempt to identify the next international rugby league star.
Surprisingly, although playing abroad in the US, she already has a relationship with the Green Machine because she used to play with Mackenzie Wiki, the NRLW team’s player and Ruben Wiki’s daughter.
“I was astounded by the number of attendees. Great athletes were present, according to Furner.
She is really acquainted with one of our players, Mackenzie Wiki, who happens to be Ruben Wiki’s daughter.
“Mackenzie gave Liz, an ex-Sevens player of Samoan ancestry, the thumbs up as a player. They had played together.
“The weather was awful today. These American athletes’ willingness to test in such conditions—which included a gale—is evident.
There were a few really talented athletes present today. Although we don’t have room on our roster for a man, other teams should give this talent some serious consideration.
“I was drawn to Liz’s performance. Having played sevens rugby, she has good abilities, is big, strong, and fast. She also has outstanding game awareness.
She informed me that she has been following NRLW, so she is aware of our competition. I hope things work out for her.
“She would be a fantastic story, and I think everyone in Canberra would get behind her.”
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