Edrick Lee re-signs until 2014The Canberra Raiders are proud to announce the re-signing of exciting young outside back, Edrick Lee for a further two years.
After relocating to the Nation’s Capital from Brisbane last year, Lee has impressed many astute judges in the National Youth Competition with his eye catching athletic prowess, work ethic and humble demeanor.
Lee is similarly pleased to extend his stay until 2014.
“I am really pleased to resign with the Raiders. I’ve been happy with my performances in the NYC so far and hopefully after resigning today I can get a crack at first grade at some point.”
“My goals for this season are to play consistently in the NYC competition and hopefully that will allow me to get an opportunity in first grade this year and if not hopefully in a few years to come.”
Lee is relatively new to the game of rugby league and after switching over from his previous sport of basketball, where he represented the Brisbane Bullets.
His cousin, Patrick Mills is one of the first Indigenous Australians to play basketball in the NBA and one of the youngest players to ever to suit up for the Australian national basketball team, the Boomers.
Mills tried to entice Lee to follow him for further honors in basketball however Lee’s flirtation with league soon turned into a deep-seeded love.
“My cousin, Patrick Mills, who’s from Canberra and is a basketball player, tried to persuade me to go down the basketball path but a lot of my family members around me in Brisbane said to try rugby league.”
“He was already in the spotlight working his way up and he would’ve loved it if I pursued basketball but I’m happy I chose rugby league as I enjoy the contact side of the game.”
“At first the transition was hard to get used to but after the initial stages I fitted in sweetly and got used to nature of the game. I’m glad I’ve switched over to rugby league and I’m really enjoying it.”
Equally adept at centre, wing or even in the second row and stretching out to an imposing 196cm, Lee was rewarded with his pre-season efforts with an inclusion in the first grade trial against the Melbourne Storm earlier this year.
“I was pretty nervous at first, coming up against all the NRL players that you see on TV. I thought I handled it pretty well and I even managed to score a try. That trial has given me a heap of confidence for this year.”
NRL Coach David Furner was impressed with the way Lee handled the trial along with his efforts in the opposed sessions in pre-season training.
“He certainly is a player on the rise and it’s great for the club that Edrick has resigned. In pre-season we had opposed sessions where we used to bring up some NYC players and he has certainly impressed the top squad each time he has come up and opposed first grade.”
“Edrick’s development means there’s increased competition for positions especially in the outside backs. He’s raw and fairly new to the game however he’s a young kid that you wouldn’t put it past him to play a bit of first grade at some point this year.”
Source: Canberra Raiders
Topic: Raiders' Toyota Cup Star Edrick Lee Re-signs Until 2014
