Despite having just turned 23, Keele Browne enters 2026 as the Dragons’ second longest-tenured player.
Keele’s first taste of rugby league came at age 15 when her local club – the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs – debuted their first female tackle team.
Her introduction to the sport may have been delayed by a then lack of female rugby league infrastructure, but it has wasted no time growing into a core of Keele’s life with the Dragons star spending her time off the field travelling with the Dragons Community Team and mentoring aspiring rugby league players at Illawarra Sports High.
“The world of rugby league is my job at the moment,” Keele laughed.
“I feel very fortunate to be in that position because I know what it’s like trying to balance and juggle work, full-time study, training or just life outside of footy.
“To be able work for the club and be in a position where my life revolves around rugby league probably fuels my passion if anything. I feel very lucky and privileged to be in that position. I’ve just loved it and realised quickly how passionate I am about it.”
It’s a reality that, as a young girl growing up in a small town on the state’s South Coast, Keele didn’t know was possible.
But now with a Bachelor of Exercise Science, a Prime Minister’s XIII cap, and 34 NRLW appearances to her name, Keele’s journey is just starting.
“I’m just so grateful for every opportunity because I wasn’t always afforded these opportunities when I was younger,” she said.
“I didn’t know that people from a small town could do all these things, but I think it just makes everything more exciting and more rewarding to go out and achieve things that I’m proud of and take on opportunities. I’m glad that I grew up in Ulladulla; it made me really grateful for everything that I have now. It made me want to go out and see the world and chase life, I suppose.”
“I love going out there and encouraging the kids to have big dreams and chase them because it’s easy to get caught up. I enjoy reassuring them and making sure that they know that they can be whoever they want to be, they’ve just got to work really hard for it.”
Keele was this year nominated for the NRL’s Veronica White Medal thanks in large part to the hours she spends visiting schools, junior clubs, and community groups – particularly in regional areas.
“I have a soft spot for all of the small towns we visit because they don’t always have a lot out there and they always show so much gratitude,” she said.
“I think growing up in a small town, you don’t always think those big opportunities are for you. I love going out there and encouraging the kids to have big dreams and chase them because it’s easy to get caught up. I enjoy reassuring them and making sure that they know that they can be whoever they want to be, they’ve just got to work really hard for it.”
The arrival of new work pal Hannah Southwell earlier in the year has proven a blessing for Keele as she continues her development both on and off the paddock.
“Hannah’s been great,” she said.
“She’s so funny and she’s a great person to work with. She’s brought a lot to the club; the whole team gets around her. She’s been a great addition to both the Community Team and obviously our squad. She brings so much leadership, and we get along really well.”
Keele this year played every minute of every game for the Dragons tallying career-highs in run metres and tackles made en route an NRLW Coaches’ Award – a recognition of her stature at the club.
“I feel like you play good footy when you’re enjoying your footy and I had a really enjoyable year,” she said.
“I’m really excited about what we’re building here and the direction we’re moving in as a club. I feel like our results on the field didn’t reflect where we’re at. We’ve got a lot of work to do over off-season, but I really think that we’ve got something building and it’s a really good space to be in at the moment.”
Keele’s youth has done little to curtail the continued strides she has made as a leader with each step along her way offering her small lessons and pieces of guidance.
“Sometimes, I still feel like that 18-year-old that I was when I first came in,” Keele laughed.
“I just try to make sure that I’m staying true to my values and my words and the person that I want to be on and off the field. I want to carry myself in the best way that I can.”
“But it’s nice to be able to help those girls that are coming in fresh because I was in that position not long ago. I try and help them out where I can because I know what it feels like to step into the NRLW as a young girl… Leadership to me is just living by your own values and leading both by actions and words, but probably more so actions.
“A lot of words can be said, but it doesn’t really mean anything unless action’s being taken. I just try to make sure that I’m staying true to my values and my words and the person that I want to be on and off the field. I want to carry myself in the best way that I can.”
Now preparing for her sixth campaign in the Red V, Keele’s focus is on sparking a climb up the competition ladder for her Dragons.
“It’s crazy to think that I’m one of the club’s longest-tenured players, but it is home for me,” she said.
“I’ve had so many opportunities that’ve come from rugby league, so it really does feel like home and the club means so much to me. I know that we haven't had the success that we’ve wanted, but I’d love nothing more than to win a premiership for this club. I have a lot of love for the club, and I have a lot of faith in where we’re going.”
