The Canberra Raiders are one of four expansion clubs joining the NRLW in 2023 and there’s no shortage of talent in the nation’s capital, including young halfback Makayla Morris.
Morris has been a mainstay in the Raiders’ women’s pathways, having played the past three seasons in the Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup.
From her debut in February 2020 to her final Under 18s match in 2022 she made 21 appearances for eight tries, 34 goals, three try assists, eight line-breaks, six line-break assists and 37 tackle busts.
Morris, who always “dreamed” of playing top-flight Rugby League, could be one of Canberra’s next generation of stars ready to take the next step.
Growing up in Narooma on the far south coast, Morris has played the game for as long as she can remember. She regularly made the three-hour roundtrip to the ACT at 16 – during her first Tarsha Gale Cup season – to pursue that dream.
In November 2021 the Raiders put forward their NRLW licence bid just as Morris was preparing for her last stint in the Tarsha Gale Cup, and the halfback couldn’t contain her excitement.
Now more than a year on, Morris – along with more rising talents at Canberra – will be counting down the days until 2023 kicks off for the Green Machine.
“It’s very exciting,” Morris said at the time.
“Knowing that there’s a pathway coming up (into NRLW) – I’m just really looking forward to it.
“It’s something I dreamed about when I was a little girl (pulling on the Raiders jersey at the top level).”
