Elsie Albert (born 20 May 1996) is a Papua New Guinean rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Parramatta Eels Women in the NRL Women's Premiership.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 20 May 1996 Nipa, Papua New Guinea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 14 November 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
She is the captain of the Papua New Guinea national team.
Background
Born in Nipa in the Southern Highlands Province, Albert was a boxer growing up before taking up rugby league in high school.[2][3]
Albert is a plant and insect expert having studied a Bachelor of Tropical Agriculture at the University of Natural Resources and Environment (UNRE) in Rabaul.
Playing career
On 4 September 2018, Albert played for Papua New Guinea in an NRLW trial game against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.[4] On 6 October 2018, she made her Test debut for Papua New Guinea in a 4–40 loss to the Prime Minister's XIII in Port Moresby.
On 22 June 2019, she started at prop for Papua New Guinea in their 0–28 loss to Fiji at Leichhardt Oval.[5] In October 2019, she represent Papua New Guinea at the World Cup 9s, scoring a try. On 16 November 2019, she captained Papua New Guinea in their first ever Test victory, a 20–16 win over England in Port Moresby.[6]
In 2020, Albert moved to Australia, joining the Souths Logan Magpies QRL Women's Premiership team.[7] On 24 September 2020, Albert signed with the St. George Illawarra Dragons NRL Women's Premiership team.[8] In Round 1 of the 2020 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Dragons, becoming the first homegrown Papua New Guinean to play in the competition.[9]
In 2021, she was forced to miss the QRL Women's Premiership season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instead remaining in Papua New Guinea.[10]
In April 2022 she played in the delayed 2021 NRLW Grand Final in which the Dragons lost 18–4 to the Sydney Roosters at Kayo Stadium.[11]
References
- ^ "Elsie Albert – Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project.
- ^ McDonald, Margie (16 October 2019). "The power behind the Orchids pack". National Rugby League. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Wayne, Hilda; Graue, Catherine (7 October 2020). "Elsie didn't always do it sweet in league". PNG Attitude. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Deruage, Martha (4 September 2018). "Albert gets award for performance in first game". The National. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "PNG's Elsie Albert ready to bring "mongrel" to NRLW". RNZ. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "Orchids upset England with last-minute try". National Rugby League. 16 November 2019. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020.
- ^ Walsh, Sean (30 August 2020). "Props star as Magpies grab opening round Holcim Cup win". Souths Logan Magpies. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "Dragons confirm 2020 NRL Women's Premiership squad". St. George Illawarra Dragons. 24 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Walter, Brad (24 September 2020). "PNG captain Albert follows role model Hancock to Dragons". St. George Illawarra Dragons. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "The unstoppable Elsie Albert". RNZ. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Dragons v Roosters - Grand Final, 2021". NRL.com. Retrieved 5 March 2024.