Elsie Albert

Elsie Albert

Personal information
Born	(1996-05-20) 20 May 1996 (age 28) Nipa, Papua New Guinea
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	95 kg (14 st 13 lb)
Playing information
Position	Prop
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2020–22 St. George Illawarra Dragons 15 3 0 0 12 2023– Parramatta Eels 0 0 0 0 0 Total 15 3 0 0 12 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2018– Papua New Guinea 8 3 0 0 12
Source: [1] As of 11 November 2024

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.

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

1. "Elsie Albert – Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. "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.
6. "Orchids upset England with last-minute try". National Rugby League . 16 November 2019. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020.
7. 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.
8. "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.
9. 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.
10. "The unstoppable Elsie Albert". RNZ . 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
11. "Dragons v Roosters - Grand Final, 2021". NRL.com. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

External links

• St. George Illawarra Dragons profile