The Canberra Raiders are pleased to announce the signings of Grace Kemp and Cheyelle Robins-Reti for the club’s inaugural NRLW season.
Kemp and Robins-Reti have represented Australia and New Zealand respectively in Rugby Union and are both entering the NRLW competition for the first time in 2023.
Kemp is an ACT Brumbies representative who debuted for the Wallaroos in 2022 and also played in last year’s Rugby World Cup.
The 21-year-old is originally from Harden and has played the past four seasons in the Super W competition for the Brumbies.
Kemp said she is grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to get started when pre-season starts at the end of the month.
“It’s super exciting. This is a big step for women’s sport and it’s so cool for this region to have a NRLW team,” Kemp said.
“I was lucky enough to be contacted by Darrin during the season for Super W and I guess this is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I’m super grateful that Darrin took a shot at me.
“This is something new, I’m just so excited for Raiders fans to get around us and support us. For those young girls out country ways and here to be able to see those opportunities are real and they can jump at them.”
Robins-Reti brings plenty of experience to the squad, having been contracted to the Black Ferns Sevens and 15s programs in recent years.
The 26-year-old was recently part of the Matatū side that won the Super Rugby Aupiki competition in March.
Robins-Reti said she is excited about the challenge ahead and can’t wait to make the move to Canberra in the coming weeks.
“I just loved the challenge of being the underdog team coming into the competition. I think I kind of had a bit of that with Matatū this year so I guess being able to create your own legacy within an already established competition is quite exciting for me,” Robins-Reti said.
“I know that the girls who have already been signed, there’s some big names in there and a lot of experience, but hopefully I’ll be able to learn quickly and just get amongst the awesome environment that I think Darrin’s already trying to create.”
Raiders NRLW coach Darrin Borthwick is excited to welcome Kemp and Robins-Reti to the club and see them transition into the NRLW competition.
“I’m very excited about Grace Kemp. When I first had Grace in she was a striking figure - big, tall, athletic build. She’s from Harden so she’s from our regional area.”
“A bit similar to Ella she’s made the transition from Rugby Union, she’s played at the highest level for that code and I think the sky is the limit for her in our code as well.
“She’s in our backyard. I’m really looking forward to working with Grace and I know she’s excited and I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do in our space.”
“Cheyelle was just one of those ones where I had a player manager send across some footage of her. Cheyelle reached out and wanted to transition into League,” Borthwick said.
“Sometimes when you see someone’s highlights, they immediately get your attention and you’ve got to act on it so we started talks with Cheyelle.
“We had a zoom call with her and found out a bit more about her off field, she’s one that I’m very excited about and we acted on that pretty quickly. I’m really excited to get her here and start her Rugby League journey. She could be one to watch out for.”
