Danika Priim

{{Short description|England international rugby league player & commentator}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox rugby league biography

| name = Danika Priim

| image =

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| birth_date ={{birth date and age|1984|9|11|df=y}}

| birth_place = Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

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| position = {{rlp|PR}}

| club1 = Stanningley

| year1start = 2015

| year1end = 16

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| club2 = {{nowrap|Bradford Bulls Women}}

| year2start = 2017

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| club3 = Leeds Rhinos Women

| year3start = 2018

| year3end = 21

| appearances3 = 29

| tries3 = 3

| goals3 = 0

| fieldgoals3 = 0

| points3 = 12

| teamA = England

| yearAstart = 2015

| yearAend = 18

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| updated = 16 October 2021

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| retired = yes

}}

Danika Priim (born 11 September 1984){{cite web |url=https://www.therhinos.co.uk/player/danika-priim/ |title=Danika Priim |publisher=Leeds Rhinos |access-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016184029/https://www.therhinos.co.uk/player/danika-priim/ |archive-date=16 October 2021 |url-status=live}} is a retired rugby league player from Leeds. She has previously played for Stanningley, and Bradford Bulls, before playing for her home town team, Leeds Rhinos in the Women's Super League between 2018 and 2021. Priim played at prop forward. Priim played at international level for {{rlnt|wENG}} from 2015 with her last international appearance being in 2018.

Born in Leeds, Priim studied PE, and qualified as a teacher at Leeds Beckett University.{{cite web |url=https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/news/0418-sport-sponsorship/ |title=Sporting expert alumni to discuss sport sponsorship with students |work=Leeds Beckett University |date=17 April 2018 |accessdate=12 November 2019}} She played rugby union for the university, but did not return to rugby league until 2015 when she joined Stanningley. While at Stanningley, Priim was selected to play for England, and made her debut in the 24–4 victory over {{Rlnt|wFRA}} on 17 June 2015.{{cite web |title=A Player in her Priim |url=https://herrugbyleague.co.uk/2018/04/13/a-player-in-her-priim/ |website=Her Rugby League |accessdate=12 November 2019 |date=13 April 2018 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112174513/https://herrugbyleague.co.uk/2018/04/13/a-player-in-her-priim/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=France 4 - 24 England |url=https://europeanrugbyleague.com/fixtures/648 |publisher=European Rugby League |accessdate=9 November 2023}}

In 2017 Priim moved to Bradford Bulls for the inaugural Women's Super League season, and was a member of the squad that won both the league title, and the Challenge Cup, although she missed the Challenge Cup Final due to injury, missed the Super League Grand Final, to ensure she was fit to play for England in the 2017 Women's Rugby League World Cup.{{cite news |title=Women's Super League Grand Final: Danika Priim hoping to make it third time lucky as Leeds Rhinos face Castleford Tigers |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/women-s-super-league-grand-final-danika-priim-hoping-to-make-it-third-time-lucky-as-leeds-rhinos-face-castleford-tigers-1-10045462 |accessdate=12 November 2019 |work=Yorkshire Post |date=11 October 2019 |language=en}} Selected by England for the 2017 World Cup, Priim had to take several weeks unpaid leave from her teaching post as England reached the semi-finals.{{cite web |title=England Women's squad named for Rugby League World Cup |url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/51185/england-womens-squad-named-for-rugby-league-world-cup |publisher=RFL |accessdate=12 November 2019 |date=9 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112174514/https://www.rugby-league.com/article/51185/england-womens-squad-named-for-rugby-league-world-cup |archive-date=12 November 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Bower |first1=Aaron |title=England looking to blaze a trail at Women's Rugby League World Cup |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/nov/15/england-blaze-trail-womens-rugby-league-world-cup-australia |accessdate=12 November 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=15 November 2017}}

The following year, Priim left Bradford to join the newly-formed Leeds Rhinos, where she was appointed vice-captain. In their first season, Leeds made both the Grand Final, and the Challenge Cup final, but an anterior cruciate ligament injury meant that she missed both games. An appearance in a major final finally came, when she was part of the Rhinos successful retention of the Challenge Cup against Castleford in July 2019.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/49138325 |title=Women's Challenge Cup final: Castleford Tigers 10-16 Leeds Rhinos |work=BBC Sport |date=27 July 2019}} The season ended with her second major final appearance, as Leeds lifted the Super League trophy, beating Castleford in the Grand Final.{{cite news |last1=Heppenstall |first1=Ross |title=Women's Super League Grand Final: Fran Goldthorp inspires Leeds Rhinos to victory against Castleford Tigers |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-league/2019/10/11/womens-super-league-grand-final-fran-goldthorp-inspires-leeds/ |accessdate=12 November 2019 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=11 October 2019}}

Priim played her last game for Leeds in the defeat to St Helens in the 2021 Grand Final, and announced her retirement from playing the following week.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Peter |title=Leeds Rhinos women's team star Danika Priim explains why she's hanging up her boots |url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/leeds-rhinos-star-danika-priim-announces-retirement-former-england-forward-won-every-honour-in-womens-game-3420127 |access-date=16 October 2021 |work=Yorkshire Evening Post |date=15 October 2021 |language=en}}

Since 2020, Priim has appeared as a commentator and summarizer on both Sky TV, and BBC TV and radio.{{cite news |last1=Heppenstall |first1=Ross |title=Danika Priim calls time on Leeds Rhinos career |url=https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/danika-priim-leeds-rhinos-retirement-21867650 |access-date=16 October 2021 |work=LeedsLive |date=15 October 2021}}

In 2024, Prim was elected as vice president for the RFL, where she will work alongside Adam Hills (who will take over as president from Sir Lindsay Hoyle).{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/articles/cd6qv9nzdj1o |title=Ex-England prop Priim to join Hills in RFL role |date=18 September 2024 |work=BBC Sport}}

In February 2025, Priim was charged with sexual assault, with a court hearing set for March.{{cite news |title=Rugby league pundit Danika Priim charged with sexual assault |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15q3qj13d3o |work=BBC News |date=20 February 2025}} On 20 February, it was announced that she had voluntarily stood down as vice president of the RFL until further notice.{{cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/63481/danika-priim-statement|title=Danika Priim Statement|publisher=RFL|date=20 February 2025}} At a preliminary hearing at Leeds Crown Court on 13 March 2025 Priim pleaded not guilty to the offence and was bailed until the trial date which has been set for 16 November 2026.{{cite news |title=Rugby league pundit Danika Priim denies sexual assault charge |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ym2dmlvqro |work=BBC News |date=13 March 2025}}