The St George Illawarra Dragons can confirm that young guns Maria Paseka and Seriah Palepale have earnt promotions to the club’s Top 24 squad.
Having spent her junior days at Kiama and Collegians, Paseka made her NRLW debut in Round 5, 2024 before moving onto a development deal.
She went on to make four appearances in 2025 scoring three tries and averaging close to 100 run metres.
Palepale, an Auckland native, meanwhile linked up with the club last season and spent the Tarsha Gale Cup season with Illawarra before making the leap up to Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership level.
“Maria and Seriah are two very exciting talents, and we are eager to have them in our top squad this year,” Head Coach Nathan Cross said.
“Maria got the opportunity to represent Fiji last year and took a lot out of that experience. She’s had an incredible preseason and has worked tirelessly to prepare herself for what will be her first full season at the top level. She has a lot of really promising attributes and we’re excited to see her continue to develop.
“Seriah got her first taste of being in an NRLW environment this year and came along in leaps and bounds. She’s a powerful athlete and was really impactful in the games she played this year for the Steelers. At just 18, there’s no ceiling on the player she can become.”
