The 23-year-old joins Rosie Harris as Dan Ryan’s latest signings ahead of the 2021 season
Last Updated: 10/10/20 7:53am
The 23-year-old returns to her hometown for the forthcoming season
Brie Grierson is proud to be joining her hometown club, as she becomes Leeds Rhinos Netball’s latest signing ahead of the 2021 Vitality Netball Superleague season.
Grierson’s arrival is announced alongside another player who grew up in Leeds, Rosie Harris.
Together the duo are joining England’s most capped player Jade Clarke and fellow Vitality Rose, Vicki Oyesola in the franchise’s inaugural Vitality Netball Superleague squad.
Grierson, who plays wing and goal attack, arrives after stints with London Pulse and Loughborough Lightning and returns to the scene of her youth netball.
After starting in Yorkshire Jets NTL, she worked through their pathway to Superleague, and while studying at Leeds Beckett University represented their netball side before joining Team Northumbria. She then signed for Loughborough Lightning in 2018 and switched to London Pulse last year.
“I am proud to be joining my hometown club and to be part of the first-ever Leeds Rhinos Netball side,” Grierson said.
“I used to watch the Rhinos when I was growing up and I worked at the stadium, so it feels good to be back home.
“Everyone knows who Leeds Rhinos are and I am hoping the netball team will have the kind of impact in the league and to be part of a team based in Leeds is a big honour.”
Dan Ryan, Leeds Rhinos’ high-performance director and head coach, has made it clear that he wants there to be a real connection with the local area and that there’s a wealth of talent to work with.
“Within our recruitment strategy, it was incredibly important to us as a franchise to secure some home-grown talent in our foundation year,” he said. “In signing Brie and Rosie, we have two high calibre athletes who are so proud to be representing the region again.
“It’s great to be able to provide them with the opportunity to return to the place where their netball careers started, and I know they’ll make the most of it.”
Speaking of Grierson, Ryan praised both her ability and ambition: “Brie is a really dynamic and crafty attacker who can play in the mid court and in the shooting circle. She adds so much flexibility and versatility to our attacking line-up and at her best can really rip open a defensive unit.
“She’s a real student of the game, a natural playmaker with great instincts and vision. I know it means a lot to her to play for her home city and she’s so committed and determined to re-establish herself back on the national scene.”
Harris, who plays centre and wing defence, was born in Sheffield and educated at The Grammar School at Leeds.
She played her early netball with Linden and Leeds Athletic before joining the Yorkshire Jets. While at university, she played for Loughborough for three years and signed her first Superleague contract with Lightning in 2018.
“I’m really excited and I can’t wait to get started. We have got a great squad this year and I am looking forward to working with them all,” she said about joining the Rhinos.
“Being a Leeds girl and growing up here I am extremely proud to be part of the franchise that is bringing Superleague back to the region.”
Ryan is equally excited about Harris’ arrival: “Rosie is an athletic machine with so much untapped potential and I’m so excited by what she could become.
“She boasts some brilliant attributes and has some big weapons in her game and I’m really enjoying seeing her hunger and desire to be her best, come to the fore.”
Live netball returns to Sky Sports with the Vitality Roses taking on the Silver Ferns in a three-Test series at the end of October. Join us for the first Test on October 28.
