Pretty in pink! Cronulla Sharks skipper Tiana Penitani shows off her ripped body in a $1,760 leather dress at the 2024 Dally M Awards

She was nominated for ‘Captain of the Year’ at the 2024 Dally M Awards on Wednesday evening.

And Cronulla Sharks skipper Tiana Penitani certainly turned heads at the NRL’s most prestigious night, held at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.

The NRLW star, 28, showed off her ripped body in a pink leather dress by American designer Rick Owens worth $1,760.

She paired the figure-hugging dress with a pair of silver strappy stilettos, several diamond rings and a pair of silver hoop earrings.

Penitani wore her long hair down and behind her ears and accentuated her natural beauty with a neutral makeup palette.

The talented sports star is one of the best backline players in the league.

She was a powerhouse on the wing and in the centers in NSW, Australia and in the NRLW, proving almost impossible to stop in flight.

She was also the youngest Aussie to represent the country at a rugby union or rugby sevens World Cup in 2013, aged just 17, before a serious knee injury ruined her chances of wearing the green and gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics .

A family tragedy when she was young shaped her into the mentally strong player she is today.

‘I give a lot of credit to who I am, to my mother and the way she raised us; the values ​​and morals she instilled in us from a very young age,” she told Ny Breaking Australia last year.

“It shaped me as an athlete because it taught me the importance of resilience. When you’re put in a position where you’re going through a tragedy and you’re experiencing trauma at such a young age, you’re kind of forced to face it. There is no way to run from it.

“I think the way I let that flow and trickle down into my playing career and my sporting life was by just being tough, not being afraid of anything and taking on challenges.

“And at the end of the day, I’ve been through some really dark times with my family and nothing, nothing can ever compare to that.

‘I’ve learned a lot about myself over the years… something I’m very proud to say is that I’m a very resilient person, and I’m proud to say I’ve learned those life lessons throughout my career brought .’

The NRLW star showed off her ripped body in a pink leather dress by American designer Rick Owens worth $1,760

Chosen as Cronulla’s inaugural NRLW captain ahead of stars such as Emma Tonegato, Quincy Dodd, Venessa Foliaki and Hollie Wheeler, it is clear how highly regarded she is as a leader.

Constantly by her side is husband Aaron Gray, an ex-NRL star who played for the Rabbitohs and Sharks. The couple has been together for about 11 years.

For someone who is a “hyperactive” woman herself, Penitani praises Gray for always bringing her back down to earth.

Considering she’s a skin therapist and regularly appears on Fox League’s coverage, that’s no small feat.

“He (Gray) is fantastic and he kind of encouraged me to take a step back because he knows that if I have a burnout, it’s a real mental burnout,” Penitani said.

“So he’s the angel on my shoulder, like, ‘Hey, take a break,’ and I love that. He holds the fort when I’m gone so he can be the house husband.”

Being recruited to Cronulla was a homecoming of sorts for Penitani, even though she played in South territory at La Perouse as a junior.

After switching from Rugby Sevens in 2019, Penitani signed for Cronulla’s Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership side, where Gray was playing at the time.