Newcastle Knights poised to unveil Hannah Southwell as key recruit for 2022 NRLW season

The Novocastrian is poised to be announced as the Newcastle Knights' latest NRLW recruit for the upcoming season.

A talented multi-sport athlete, Southwell has played in the NRLW since its inception.

The 23-year-old has spent the past three seasons at the Sydney Roosters and played for St George Illawarra Dragons in the league's inaugural competition in 2018.

Mostly a lock, she has represented Australia and NSW in recent years and is in an extended squad ahead of the women's State of Origin match in Canberra on June 24.

The Cameron Park product, who helped the Roosters claim the NRLW premiership last season, will be one of the most significant recruits the Knights have landed.

After a winless inaugural season earlier this year, the club has gone on a recruitment drive for their second campaign.

The club unveiled former Brisbane premiership-winners Mille Boyle and Tamika Upton as prized signatures earlier this month and announced the retention of first-season captain Romy Teitzel on Sunday.

Southwell has played for the Knights in the NSW Women's Premiership in recent weeks. Her sister, Jesse, is also at the club. Such were Jesse's prospects, the Knights signed her in 2020 before they even had an NRLW licence.

Still only 17, Jesse has recently played for Australia in World Rugby Sevens tournaments in Canada and France.

Eyeing a professional career in either rugby league or union, maybe both, she recently debuted in the NSW Women's Premiership, the state's elite senior women's competition.

But to play NRLW this year, Jesse will need a clearance from the sport's governing body as players in both the NRL and NRLW must be 18 years old before they can debut.

Newcastle Knights CEO Phil Gardner said the club had sought approval for Jesse to play in the competition, beginning in August.

He expects she will be part of Newcastle's next campaign, but potentially only after she plays rugby at the Commonwealth Games.

"We've applied for an exemption for her to play," Gardner told the Newcastle Herald.

"Jesse will represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games and then come back and hopefully play for us. She has proved she has the physical capacity to do it playing world sevens, I don't think there should be any trouble with that exemption going through."

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