Australian rugby sevens star Lily Dick has seen it all from Gold medals to Olympic heartbreak but she is about to add a new stamp to her resume as she attempts to become a cross code star.

Dick is set to leave behind her Sevens career in favour of a rugby jersey, as she makes her debut for the North Queensland Cowboys this season.

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Dick made her mark in the sport, appearing in 30 tournaments since her 2018 debut, including a World Cup victory and gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Yet her Sevens journey came to a devastating end when an ACL injury saw her miss the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The 25-year-old then made the switch to rugby league, following in the footsteps of many former Sevens teammates.

“I think I lost a bit of the love for Sevens, and I’d seen so many friends come over to league and love it and they were thriving, so I thought I may as well start a different chapter of my life,” Dick told foxsports.com.au.

Although she never played growing up, Dick has always had a passion for rugby league, stemming from her days glued to the TV watching the stars of the Melbourne Storm.

“I was a massive Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith fan, and the Titans weren’t in when I was a child, so I grew up watching Melbourne Storm play and obviously being from Queensland we were massive Maroons fans,” she said.

“Being a sporty family, we grew up watching rugby league, so I loved watching it but back then there was no opportunity for a female, so now that NRLW is obviously a massive part of the league as well, it’s awesome to be involved with it.”

Dick hopes to bring the passion and skills of her idols to her own game, kicking off with the Cowboys’ trial game against the Gold Coast Titans this Saturday.

“A big dream would be to play for the Maroons but yeah, start with the Cowboys this weekend and then hopefully just have fun, play footy and just get back out there,” she said.

Dick will play alongside her former sevens teammate Jakiya Whitfeld, who joined the Cowboys last year. The two travelled the world representing Australia before Whitfeld made the switch to rugby league in 2022.

They have remained good friends, with Whitfeld playing a significant role in bringing Dick across to NRLW, and the newcomer looks forward to once again playing alongside her old teammate.

“I’ve been friends with her since we were like 15, 16 and you have kept contact ever since she left Sevens, and she only had good things to say about Cowboys and NRLW, so I thought I really wanted to go,” Dick said.

When choosing a club, it wasn’t just her connection to Jakiya drawing her to the Cowboys, but also Dick’s desire to be back on home soil in Queensland.

After spending the last six years in Sydney with her Sevens squad, Dick was ready to return to her roots and was excited to be offered a place with the Cowboys, who are entering their third season in the competition.

“I really wanted to go to a Queensland club and I’m from the Gold Coast. I thought about the Titans, but wanted to get out of my comfort zone as well,” she said.

“I’ll always end up in Queensland.

“I heard really good things about the culture up here and the coaching staff, the team and that was something that I was really excited to get involved in.”

Having only entered the competition in 2023, the Cowboys remain underdogs according to Dick; yet also a team with a real chance of taking home the title.

Joining the Sevens transfer are Kiwi Ferns stars Najvada George and Abigail Roache and New Zealand International Rosie Kelly, who Dick believes will add a fresh dynamic to the Cowboys line-up.

“The Cowboys haven’t been in the comp for long, so it’s been a bit of building in the past couple years, but we’ve been really really good in the preseason and we’re looking forward to getting out there and playing this weekend,” she said.

The NRLW has seen numerous cross-code stars emerge over recent years, with the likes of Charlotte Caslick and Stacey Waaka making their mark in rugby league.

Dick is now looking to join this impressive group and although admitting league is a different beast, she is confident her skills can get her across the line.

“I probably see a different game to what other people see, so it’s about trying to bring that part of my skill set to the Cowboys and hopefully helping us win a premiership,” she said.

This season is the perfect time for Dick to pursue her long-held NRLW dream, coming in alongside two new teams – the Bulldogs and Warriors – as the competition expands to 12 teams.

With the NRLW the largest and most popular it has ever been, Dick is excited and ready to make the most of her opportunity.

“The competition is just growing and getting even better in quality, so it’s an exciting time for women’s sport,” she said.