Harvey Norman NSW Sky Blues prop Caitlan Johnston has capped off a career-defining season with four awards for her club, Newcastle Knights.
The 21-year-old plays for the Knights in both Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership and the NRLW side, which won the Telstra Women’s Premiership trophy with a comprehensive 32-12 win over Parramatta last weekend.
Just days after her Grand Final triumph, Johnston won the prestigious ‘Once A Knight Old Boy’s Gladiator of the Year’ for her NRLW exploits this season, presented by new Knights Hall of Famer and NSW Blues veteran of 13 games, True Blue Steve Simpson.
In addition to that Johnston won Harvey Norman Premiership awards - Player of the Year, and Player’s Player.
She also collected the NRLW Thrive Award for her commitment and contribution to the club’s holistic player development program.
This all comes after she became the inaugural Sky Blues Award winner – for displaying the talent and values of a NSW Origin player - at the Brad Fittler Medal dinner in September.
Her Sky Blues teammate and Knights NRLW co-captain Millie Boyle took out the Knights Community Player of the Year award for her work in developing and implementing the ‘Game Changer’ program for people with a disability.
Her commitment to that program has led to Boyle withdrawing from the Jillaroos 24-woman squad for next month’s Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) in the UK.
But Johnston will be on the plane to play for the green and gold in two weeks after making her Origin debut this year at Canberra’s GIO Stadium for a 20-14 win over the Maroons.
The two much-prized jerseys come after Johnston has played for the Indigenous All Stars over the past four years.
