'Here I am': Elite Elise set to shine on NRLW stage

Elise Simpson only picked up a rugby league ball for the first time last year but the Canberra teenager didn't just make an earlier than expected NRLW debut, she exploded onto the scene.

With a blistering 212 run metres, five tackle breaks and two try assists for winger Madison Bartlett in her first NRLW appearance against Parramatta, the 18-year-old announced herself as one of the most exciting young talents in the game.

Simpson’s meteoric rise is one born from natural talent, courage, and a relentless work ethic.

A product of the Raiders' pathways, including the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Tarsha Gale Cup side, Simpson has been steadily building toward this moment - even if she didn’t quite see it coming.

“I honestly never really thought about getting to this point.” Simpson told 42025.com.

I didn’t start playing rugby league until last year so I never really thought it would be possible to play NRLW yet.

“When I got into Tarsha Gale I was like, 'oh this is sick', but I never really thought I would make it to the NRLW.”

A Canberra local through and through, Simpson's sporting background is as diverse as it is elite.

She has represented Australia in touch football and rugby sevens and credits those experiences with helping shape her footy IQ.

“I feel like playing touch made me a lot better with my ball skills and then I started to develop that," Simpson said. "That kind of got me into playing sevens.

"My touch coach actually told me to come and trial for Tarsha Gale and how he thought I should switch over to league. I did that and now here I am.”

When Raiders coach Darrin Borthwick called Simpson into his office last week, she thought it was for a standard video session. Instead, he told her she’d be making her NRLW debut at fullback.

“Darrin called me into the office to go through some clips, and it turns out there wasn’t any clips. He just told me I was debuting.” Simpson said.

"It was kind of crazy but also quite nice to know someone believed in me and that I was good enough.”

That belief was well-placed. Despite a few nervous early moments, Simpson settled into the game with poise and determination.

Her defensive efforts as the last line of defence caught the eye, as did her running game, with several powerful carries setting up key attacking plays.

“I will put my hand up; was it earlier than expected? Absolutely it was. But she proved today why my choice was a good one and she will only get better,” Borthwick said post-game.

“The good stuff that she did far outweighed the few errors she did make. Some of her runs, [and] more importantly her last line of defence, was great.

“She is a product of our pathways and we're very excited about her moving forward."

Raiders captain Simaima Taufa echoed that praise, revealing how the playing group had rallied around Simpson from the start.

“Us players wanted her on that field. She may have debuted early, but we wanted her there," Taufa said.

"And the only way they will learn through this competition of NRLW is if you give them a fair crack. Elise actually went really well, she put her body on the line and that is all we ask for and us, as teammates, rallied around her.

"Elise Simpson, she has matured well beyond her years. She earned the right to be here. She did the club proud, and she has worked really hard to get to where she is today.”

A symbol of the Raiders’ investment in youth and development, the 2024 Katrina Fanning Scholarship recipient’s next chapter is still unwritten, but she’s dreaming big.

“Someday it would be great to make Origin level and then Australia," Simpson said. "That would be insane, but I feel like I obviously have a lot to work on before I get to that stage. I just want to be perfecting my game and getting better.”