Tiana Penitani

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Representative honours: New South Wales State of Origin (2019); New South Wales City (2019); NRL National Championships MVP (2019); Youth Olympics – rugby sevens (2014); Australia Rugby Sevens World Cup (2013); Australian Youth Olympic Festival – rugby sevens (2013); Australian Oztag Under-18s World Cup winner (2012); Australian Little Athletics multi-event champion (2011); Australian All Schools 80-metre Hurdles championship (2009)

Penitani's resume is one to behold. An athletics star growing up, Penitani transferred her skills with a footy in hand soon after. While she first played rugby league at 11, she was forced to give it up a year later due to age restrictions around girls. That didn't stop her from thriving in other sports. An Australian Oztag World Cup winner (2012) and the youngest-ever woman (at 17) to represent Australia at a Rugby Union World Cup (2013), things were on the up for Penitani as she continued her rise through the rugby ranks. Despite a mounting injury toll, she co-captained Australia to rugby sevens gold at the 2014 Youth Olympics. Eventually four knee operations (including two reconstructions) proved too much for Penitani and sadly she missed Australia's run to gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Now embracing a new lease on life in rugby league, Penitani has recently featured for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the Harvey Norman Women's Premiership. She was selected to represent New South Wales City at May's National Championships and was awarded the tournament's MVP. She was selected to represent New South Wales Origin thereafter. Penitani works as a customer care specialist and is a Communications student at University of Technology, Sydney. She hopes to inspire young women/girls to play rugby league while representing the Red V.