Rugby League World Cup star Ferris Sandboe will become the NRLW’s first ever Canadian import when she links up with the St George Illawarra Dragons on a development deal for the upcoming season.
Sandboe hails from a small town of about 300 people in northern Alberta and touched down in Australia on Tuesday morning.
The 31-year-old was all smiles upon arriving in Wollongong.
“It’s been great so far. I’ve met so much of the staff and everything,” she said.
“I feel very welcomed into the club and, honestly, the view upon arrival’s pretty surreal. It feels like I’m walking into a dream right now.”
A nimble and skilled outside back, Sandboe captured the attention of the rugby league world when she made her Rugby League World Cup debut for the Ravens against Papua New Guinea in Leeds last November.
Dragons NRLW head coach Jamie Soward was one name who took note of Sandboe’s outstanding play.
“When Ferris’ highlights package came up, firstly, I was intrigued about someone from Canada wanting to play rugby league,” Soward said.
“The success story of her making the World Cup and her involvement in that certainly appealed to us. She’s going to be really good for what we’re trying to build with our culture – she’s a little bit older, she’s experienced life, she works on the farm, she’s got good values, she trains hard.”
Sandboe, who spent time wrestling and playing rugby union, made her venture into rugby league in somewhat innocuous fashion.
“My rugby league journey started very randomly, I guess, about three or four years ago," she said.
"Some friends said, ‘hey do you want to come play a rugby game?’ There was a New Zealand team touring around and it just happened to be a rugby league game,” she said.
“I was very grateful when I got accepted onto the World Cup team and trained hard for that. The World Cup was awesome to be a part of and that’s what made me want to continue that journey further into league.”
She admits the decision to travel abroad in hopes of realising her rugby league dream was a difficult one to make but is excited at the prospect of becoming the first Canadian ever to play in the NRLW.
“I decided to make a big life change stepping into the world of league because, in Canada, it’s not as dominant of a sport and, here, you guys live and breathe rugby league,” she said.
“There’s definitely some things at home that I knew were going to be a little tough leaving but, at the end of the day, when a door opens you should walk through it. I do feel like I’m making history a bit.”
Both Sandboe and Soward hope that this will spark a closer relationship between rugby league and Canada.
“The forward vision of five or six years from now could be Ferris recruiting for the Dragons and sending players over to do their apprenticeship and turn them into NRLW players,” Soward said.
“It’s such a great recruitment tool going forward for the next lot of years and she can talk to her Canadian teammates at the next World Cup. She might be the first of many that we see in the next couple of years.”
The high standard of the NRLW had a major influence over Sandboe’s decision to make the move to Wollongong.
“I see it being very high quality," she said.
"I think it’s going to be extremely hard, you know, I’m prepared to get the s*** hit out of me sometimes but I’m prepared to also do the same back to others,” she laughed.
“I think the level’s going to be the highest in the world. That’s what the NRLW is.”
The Dragons kick off their NRLW season against the Newcastle Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday 22 July.
