YORK Valkyrie teenager Chevelle Clarke has been making waves on the international stage after helping Jamaica secure their first ever 13-a-side win – and is now being lined up to represent her country at the Olympics.
Clarke, who recently turned 19, was called up to the Reggae Warriors’ squad for this month’s Rugby League World Cup qualifying play-off, which they contested along with Canada and the USA.
The young centre impressed during the Jacksonville-based mini tournament – particularly in their 48-12 triumph against the USA Pioneers – catching the eye of Jamaica’s rugby sevens’ selectors.
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Sevens is a smaller-sided variant of rugby union, and Clarke, who studies a sport diploma course at York College, is set to be invited to represent her country again in the sport’s other code for a January tournament in Dubai.
The young talent, who progressed through York’s RISE programme and Under 19 set-up before being handed her debut in last year’s Women’s Nines competition, is also seen as a strong long-term prospect for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, with Jamaica having narrowly missed out on sevens qualification for this year’s Games in Paris.
“I didn’t think that would be an option for me because I’m a rugby league player,” explained Clarke, who has been a regular starter for the Valkyrie’s dual registration partners Sheffield Eagles this season.
“But the team officials said that they think the future is bright for me and that I would be a great addition to the squad.
“It would be amazing if I could play at an Olympic Games one day.”
“I thought I’d missed the opportunity,” she confessed. “My mum’s friend said that Jamaica were interested in recruiting people to play for them in the Rugby League World Cup qualifiers and that they might have contacted me, so I looked through my emails and found some from two months ago!
“I never really used to look at my emails much, because they’re full of spam from UberEats and everywhere, but I check them every day now! I rang the number that was on the email and, thankfully, they told me that they had seen me play for York, that I hadn’t left it too late and that they still wanted me to play in the games.”
The three-nation tournament saw Jamaica play the full USA team in a semi-final to decide who would go on to meet top seeds Canada, for whom Valkyrie teammate Megan Pakulis is vice-captain.
That game finished in a 44-0 loss but, after Clarke and her team-mates had grown more accustomed to each other’s games and had time to bond as a squad, there was a marked improvement against the Pioneers side, who comprise of highly rated players being considered for full international call-ups.
Despite usually plying her trade at centre or on the wing, she was given a different challenge at full-back for the match, claiming an assist for one of the tries.
“We only had six hours to train before the first match after landing in America and I didn’t know any of the girls, but the last time the team played the full US side it was a much bigger loss, so it was an improvement on that and we played OK," she reflected.
“After that, we had a bit more training and attended some social events.
“We went to the beach and out to some restaurant who welcomed all the teams with some free food and that made the squad come together more, which really helped in the second game. All the girls really wanted a win having gone all the way over there, so to get that first one ever felt so good.
“For me, just to be selected for the squad was amazing, so to get a starting shirt as well was great and it was very exciting to play at international level. I’m only young, so I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity.
“My dad is Jamaican and my mum is half-Jamaican so they were really proud and were posting about it everywhere!”
Tries from Pakulis and St Helens forward Channy Crowl helped steer Canada to victory against the USA in the final, and they will now join Fiji, Ireland and Nigeria in next year’s World Series event, which will decide who claims the final berth at the 2026 World Cup in Australia.
A stunning 18-8 victory at treble-chasers St Helens provided a fairytale ending to a season in which Lindsay Anfield’s side battled with injury and illness, and had questioned whether they would even make the division’s play-offs.
Clarke was invited to the Grand Final as one of the club’s non-playing members, and her side’s victory has only made her more determined to gain more first-team exposure in 2025.
“I was invited to go with the first team to the Grand Final,” she explained. “Lindsay told me that she wanted me to know that she still sees me as part of the team and presented me with a shirt for the game.
“It was great to be there and see the team win and, now, I want to work really hard to play in that first-team shirt next year because she says I have the ability.”
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