Karina Brown (born 9 March 1989) is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays for the Gold Coast Titans Women in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Burleigh Bears in the QRL Women's Premiership.

Karina Brown
Personal information
Born (1989-03-09) 9 March 1989 (age 35)
Warragul, Victoria, Australia
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight70 kg (11 st 0 lb)
Playing information
PositionFullback, Wing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2018–19 Sydney Roosters 7 0 0 0 0
2020 New Zealand Warriors 3 0 0 0 0
2021– Gold Coast Titans 11 2 0 0 8
Total 21 2 0 0 8
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2010–20 Queensland 9 4 0 0 16
2012–17 Women's All Stars 5 0 0 0 0
2013–18 Australia 11 8 0 0 32
2019 Prime Minister's XIII 1 0 0 0 0
Source: RLP
As of 1 November 2023

A fullback or winger, she is a Queensland and Australian representative, winning two World Cups in 2013 and 2017.

Background edit

Born in Warragul, Victoria, Brown moved to the Gold Coast, Queensland with her family at the age of two and attended Marymount College.[1] Brown grew up playing rugby league but was forced to stop when she was 13 years old, as there were no longer any opportunities for her to play competitively.

Playing career edit

In 2010, she returned to rugby league, playing for the Runaway Bay Seagulls and making her debut for Queensland.[2]

In 2012, after a year off, Brown founded the Burleigh Bears women's team.[3] She captained Burleigh for four years, leading them to two premiership victories in 2015 and 2016.[4]

In 2013, Brown made her first Test debut for the Australia, playing two games in their 2013 Women's Rugby League World Cup-winning campaign.[5]

In 2017, to ensure the ongoing development of women's rugby league in Queensland, Brown and teammates Vanessa Foliaki and Sasha Mahuika left Burleigh to form another women's side, the Easts Tigers in Brisbane.[6] On 2 December 2017, Brown started on the wing in Australia's 23–16 2017 Women's Rugby League World Cup final win over New Zealand.

On 17 June 2018, Brown signed with the Sydney Roosters for the inaugural NRL Women's Premiership season.[7] On 22 June 2018, Brown captained Queensland in the inaugural Women's State of Origin, scoring her side's only two tries in their 10–16 loss to New South Wales.[8]

In Round 1 of the 2018 NRL Women's season, Brown made her debut for the Sydney Roosters, starting on the wing in their 4–10 loss to the New Zealand Warriors.[9] On 30 September 2018, she started at fullback in the Roosters' 12–34 Grand Final loss to the Brisbane Broncos.

On 11 October 2019, Brown captained the Prime Minister's XIII in their 22–14 win over the Fiji Prime Minister's XIII.[10]

In 2020, Brown joined the New Zealand Warriors for the 2020 NRL Women's season.[11]

Achievements and accolades edit

Team edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Star students: Marymount College's top alumni". Gold Coast Bulletin.
  2. ^ "Women's rugby league: Queensland desperate to win back Interstate Challenge title". The Daily Telegraph. 8 July 2017.
  3. ^ "Karina Brown shares NRL tips with Cannonvale students". Queensland Times. 12 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Gold Coast Bulletin". www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Late lifeline keeps Karina Brown's Jillaroos streak alive". The Daily Telegraph. 12 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Sign on for Easts Tigers Women's team". QRL. 12 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Roosters Announce NRLW Marquee Signings". 16 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Injured Rooster given every chance to play". 18 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Roosters v Warriors: NRLW Round 1 preview". 8 September 2018.
  10. ^ "PM's XIII squads announced: Graham, Brown to lead youthful sides". NRL. 30 September 2019.
  11. ^ "Warriors' blended family can achieve special feats in NRLW: Brown". NRL. 25 September 2020.

External links edit