Georgie Dagger: ‘Your career isn't done when you become a mum – I'm Woman of Steel'

Telegraph

26-02-2025

When Georgie Dagger was crowned rugby league's Woman of Steel last October, it topped what she calls the 'best year of my life'.
During 2024, she made her England debut, helped York Valkyrie to the Women's Super League title and married her long-term partner Will Dagger, the York Knights player. But the significance of claiming the game's highest individual prize went deeper because Dagger, nee Hetherington, became the first mother to win Woman of Steel, having given birth to son Bobby in 2020.
Inspiring @YorkValkyrie to #GrandFinal glory 🏆
2024 Woman of Steel, Georgie Hetherington 🙌 #SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/qePuuXlzjr
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) October 9, 2024
Professional sportswomen returning to the highest level after giving birth is becoming more common but it is not without its challenges. Dagger, a full-back or hooker, says: 'Nobody in women's rugby league really talks about taking time out to have children and how difficult it is to get back playing. I believe it puts so many girls off having kids young because they think, 'Your career's done once you've become a mum'.
'More than anything, I wanted to prove to all the young players – and even girls who have yet to pick up a rugby ball – that you absolutely can do it. Yes, it takes hard work and sacrifice, but you should never feel you have to prioritise one over the other. The fact I'm a mum and a rugby player – and the Woman of Steel – makes me really proud.'
Dagger hails from Castleford, a former coal-mining town in West Yorkshire where rugby league dominates. It was while playing for amateur club Castleford Panthers that she met her future husband.
'Bobby was the best surprise ever'
'Will played for the boys' team and me for the girls, so we always knew who each other were. But we went to different high schools,' says the 27-year-old. 'We then went to the same college and that's where things took a romantic turn. He came around to my house one day and never really left. It was all very natural.'
Bobby, who was born in February 2020 via an emergency aesarean, was not planned. Dagger explains: 'I was out injured at the time with a broken arm and my reaction to the anaesthetic might have cancelled out the Pill. So, Bobby really was a surprise, but the best surprise ever.
'I thought, 'How am I ever going to get back playing rugby with a child?'. It was quite daunting but luckily it was during lockdown, so I used that period to get back fit in my own time.
'It's not been easy, though, and myself and some of the other mums at York have picked up long-term injuries. You wonder if it's because your body goes through so much of a change after giving birth. Getting back playing is a massive challenge.'
Alongside her rugby, Dagger works as a teaching assistant at Bobby's school in Pontefract. Will plays his rugby part-time for York's men's team, having starred in Super League for Warrington Wolves and Hull Kingston Rovers. He also serves on York Valkyrie's back-room staff under head coach Lindsay Anfield, whom Georgie credits as a major influence on her career.
'It's fair to say Will and I had a few arguments in the early days of him coaching us,' she says. 'But now the dynamic is much better and all we do is talk about rugby! I'm so grateful to have such an understanding partner because he's a player himself. Will's support was pivotal in all my success last year and Lindsay's been brilliant for me over a long period.'
'Amazing to be involved'
Dagger missed England's November international against Wales at Headingley, having made her international debut away in France last June, because it clashed with her wedding. But she is in the squad to face Australia as part of a quadruple-header in Las Vegas on March 1, which also features two NRL men's fixtures and a men's Super League game.
'It would be amazing to be involved,' says Dagger, who has not ruled out following other leading players to the NRLW in Australia one day. 'If I was approached, I probably would go because it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Right now, though, I couldn't be happier because I have everything here with my job, family and rugby career. I wanted Will and I to be a power couple and successful in our rugby careers. I honestly think we've achieved that.'