After earning a Jillaroos debut at just 18 years of age following a standout showing in the inaugural NRL Women's premiership, Keeley Davis was labelled a star of the future.

That status was reinforced when the five-eighth was handed a full-time NRL Women's contract, just one of 19 players to receive a contract.

But then came the reality check.

When the Blues unveiled their team for Friday night's State of Origin clash, Davis' name was absent.

It's a snub Davis admits still hurts, but it's one that has a silver lining.

On Monday as she was announced as the Dragons latest signing for the 2019 NRL Women's competition, Davis said missing out on selection has made her even more determined to perform for St George Illawarra and return to the representative stage at the end of the year.

"It was definitely disappointing to miss out on NSW selection," Davis said. "But now I can focus on St George Illawarra this year and getting nice and fit for the NRLW season.

"I'm 100 per cent focused on getting back in that Australian team. Missing out on NSW has been very motivating, so I can't wait for the season to start."

Davis was unveiled as a Dragons signing alongside fellow Illawarra juniors Rikeya Horne and Maddi Weatherall and St George Tarsha Gale star Aaliyah Fasavalu-Fa'amausili.

Davis, Horne and Weatherall are all graduates of the Steelers successful Tarsha Gale Cup program, with Weatherall playing a starring role in Illawarra's premiership earlier this year.

Weatherall earned an NRL development contract in 2018, with the only thing stopping St George Illawarra coach Daniel Lacey from signing her to a full contract being her age.

Now that she is set to make the step up to elite women's competition, the 17-year-old, Weatherall turns 18 in September, said she's expecting the transition to be a tough one, but it's a challenge she's excited to tackle.

"It's great to sign with the Dragons, it's one of my biggest achievements," Weatherall said.

"Having a development contract last year helped me a lot. It was really good, the girls were helping me a lot and seeing how they do stuff really made me keen and made me want to play even more.

"It's cool to step up to open's competition now, but they're a lot stronger and bigger, so I'll have to keep working hard."

Before she runs out for St George Illawarra in September, Weatherall has a more immediate challenge to confront, Friday night's Under 18 State of Origin fixture.

Weatherall is one of seven Illawarra Steelers to be named in the Daniel Lacey-coached NSW team, the selections reflecting the team's dominance in the Tarsha Gale Cup, and she's looking forward to leading her state to victory at North Sydney Oval.

"I'm so excited for Friday night. I'm just really excited to get out there and just be with the girls. There's a lot of good girls in the team through the Tarsha Gale competition and the best part is having so many Steelers girls, so it's really exciting."