She's only been with the Red V for a handful of weeks, but Tara McGrath-West is set to make her NRLW debut after being named in the Dragons' 17 for Sunday's season opener against the Titans.
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McGrath-West, who was called up to the squad in late July as an injury replacement for Fatafehi Henisi (leg), is one of three new faces who will play their first games at WIN Stadium this weekend. McGrath-West will start on the bench alongside Monalisa Soliola, while head coach Jamie Soward has also handed a debut to winger Andie Robinson after the squad was announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Front-rower Tegan Dymock will make her starting debut, while former Australian Rugby 7s player Cassie Staples has been named on an extended bench.
The bulk of the starting 17 will be made up of familiar faces, with 13 players who represented the Dragons in last season's grand final loss running out on WIN Stadium this Sunday.
Soward said she was excited to see the club's debutants make an impact against Gold Coast.
"I'm really excited for Andie, we all saw how good she was in the Origin period, scoring three tries. She's a great girl and her boyfriend Kade Dykes actually debuted against the Dragons a few weeks ago, so it's been a big couple of weeks for them," he said.
"Last year we were probably a little bit small [in the forwards], so Monalisa and Tara both bring those bigger bodies. Tara's very physical in the way she plays, she had an outstanding season for North Sydney in the Harvey Norman [Premiership]. Monalisa, for me, has ball playing skills and you can see why she's an elite talent. So I'm looking forward to seeing her out there."
The Dragons' NRLW season opener will be held as part of a double-header, with the Red V and Gold Coast also meeting in an NRL clash at WIN Stadium on Sunday.
On Tuesday, coach Anthony Griffin named an unchanged outfit for the clash, which will mark veteran Aaron Woods' 250th NRL game.
Dragons NRLW round one side:
- Emma Tonegato
- Teagan Berry
- Keele Browne
- Paige McGregor
- Andie Robinson
- Taliah Fuimaono
- Rachael Pearson
- Elsie Albert
- Keeley Davis
- Tegan Dymock
- Kezie Apps (Captain)
- Shaylee Bent
- Holli Wheeler
- Quincy Dodd
- Talei Holmes
- Monalisa Soliola
- Tara McGrath-West
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