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Gold added to Coast's inaugural NRLW campaign

She's the first player in history to have won an Olympic gold medal and also pull on a Gold Coast Titans jersey.

Evania Pelite has been at the top of her game in Rugby Sevens over the last eight seasons, which culminated with two Olympic appearances and a gold medal at the Rio Olympic games.

Now, she returns home to Queensland and will be part of the Titans inaugural NRLW campaign next year.

"I wanted to come back and be closer to my family so when the opportunity came up to relocate back home it was one that I couldn't pass up," she said.

Pelite grew up playing rugby league, but in a time when the pathway stopped before your teenage years, she had to move into another code to advance her playing career.

"My footy career started in under 12s and I played my first game of league at the Deception Bay Raiders but then I transitioned out of league when girls had to stop playing at the age of 12," she said.

"I went into touch football and played that all the way through until I was 17 and represented Australia.

"And then when it was announced that Rugby Sevens was going to be an Olympic sport, I transitioned from touch to rugby and I've been doing that for the past eight or nine years now.

"I've been to two Olympics, have an Olympic gold and a world cup medal and I'm a Commonwealth Games medallist as well."

Pelite was one of the star attractions in the NRLW last year with three tries, two try assists, 22 tackle busts and four line breaks in three appearances at the Warriors.

After her rookie season in the competition, Pelite went back to sevens to represent Australia at a second consecutive Olympic games (Tokyo).

"I'm hoping this year because I played a season last year, that my understanding of the game will be better," she said.

"I'm really looking forward to working under Feens (Coach Jamie Feeney) and learning how he plays and seeing how we can work together.

"I felt extremely comfortable at centre last year and I thought that was an easy transition from sevens, but I'm hoping this year he (Feeney) might put me in a position that might be a bit out of my depth.

"I'd love to have a crack at fullback, I know in the halves in the six or a seven that you're a ballplayer which I am comfortable with but I don't have a great kicking game."

The Titans NRLW side will play their first game on Sunday 27th February against the St George Illawarra Dragons, with their first game in front of home fans coming in round four (Saturday 19th March) with a local derby clash against the Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium.

Acknowledgement of Country

Queensland Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.

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