NRLW Dragons sign Olympic gold medalist

[Eric]

Olympic sevens gold medallist Emma Tonegato will return to rugby league after signing with St George Illawarra's NRLW team.
The 26-year-old left the code after playing for the Jillaroos in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup win to explore opportunities in rugby union.
She won gold in rugby sevens at the 2016 Games in Rio and claimed silver two years later at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Tonegato was part of the Australian squad for Tokyo earlier this year before quitting the set-up to seal a move to the Dragons on Monday.
"I'm super excited to be a part of the Dragons, it's a great club and has a strong history in Wollongong," she said.
"My career started in rugby league here in Wollongong, I played for the Helensburgh Tiger Lillies and ended up being selected for the Jillaroos from there.
"I've always wanted to see how I'd go playing in the NRLW especially since it wasn't around when I started playing.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how I stack up against the other girls."
Tonegato will likely play on the wing or at fullback for the Dragons - who will be coached by NRL premiership winning playmaker Jamie Soward - when the rescheduled NRLW season kicks off in February.
Tonegato's acquisition comes after the Dragons lost Isabelle Kelly and Jess Sergis to the Roosters and Tiana Penitani switched to be a part of the maiden Parramatta NRLW squad.
The Dragons still have an impressive roster with Papua New Guinea prop Elsie Albert, new recruit Shontelle Stowers and NSW back-rower Kezie Apps on board as they aim to avoid back-to-back wooden spoons.

NRLW Dragons sign Olympic gold medallist

After tasting glory at the Olympics, former sevens star Emma Tonegato will be hoping to mirror her medal success with St George Illawarra in the NRLW.

thewest.com.au

 

[Eric]

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST JOINS RED V

The Dragons have bolstered their NRLW squad with an Olympic gold medallist ahead of the postponed women’s competition next year.

Australian Rugby 7s star Emma Tonegato has linked up with the Red V for the 2022 season in what will be a return to the sport for the Wollongong junior.

The 26-year-old played league for the Helensburgh Tiger Lillies and represented the Australian Jillaroos before going on to enjoy a successful career at the top level of women’s rugby.

As recently as this year, Tonegato represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympics as part of the women’s Rugby 7s side and was a member of the gold medal-winning side at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The try scoring machine said she was eager to try her hand in the national women’s rugby league competition.

“I‘m super excited to be a part of the Dragons,” Tonegato said.

“It‘s a great club and has a strong history in Wollongong.

“My career started in rugby league here in Wollongong, I played for the Helensburgh Tiger Lillies and ended up being selected for the Jillaroos from there.

“I‘ve always wanted to see how I’d go playing in the NRLW especially since it wasn’t around when I started playing.

“I‘m looking forward to seeing how I stack up against the other girls.“

It’s the first Dragons signing since the postponement of the 2021 NRLW competition – set to be played in February 2022 – and Tonegato becomes the 17th player to be added to their squad.

More signings are set to be announced as the competition draws closer, with the club already securing the services of star forward Kezie Apps and youngster Keeley Davis.

Tonegato also shapes as a handy replacement for Dragons star fullback Sam Bremner (pregnancy) next year.

“The opportunity to bring someone with (Tonegato’s) experience across both codes is a big addition to our NRLW squad,” Dragons general manager of football Ben Haran said.

“To secure a player of her quality and experience with ties to the region is certainly a positive and the club will only benefit from the arrival of Emma.”

 

[Eric]

NRLW 2022: All the news and signings, squads​

From an Olympic gold medallist to a Dally M medallist, plenty of big names have been secured for the six-team 2022 NRLW season. Here are some of the biggest.

Emma Tonegato (St. George Illawarra Dragons)​

Position: Outside back

The Olympic gold medallist is one of the most exciting signings in the NRLW off-season so far. The Australian Rugby Sevens star is fresh off her Tokyo Olympics campaign and is making her return to rugby league in the famous Red V jersey. Tonegato adds plenty of depth to the Dragons backline on either the wing, centre or a replacement fullback for Sam Bremner – who is set to miss the 2022 season through pregnancy.

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They only nominated one player for us. I hope the squad is already strong.