2023 NRLWahine: Five Funkiest Players From Aotearoa
The 2023 NRLW season will feature a wave of new players from Aotearoa with as many wahine entering their first campaign as there are players returning to NRLW action. While the headlines focus on players leaving rugby union in Aotearoa to pursure greater professional opportunities, there are more intriguing NRLWahine storylines specific to rugby league players that deserve to be highlighted.
Gayle Broughton - Broncos
In her second season of NRLW footy, Broughton moves from Eels to Broncos where Broughton appears likely to shift from fullback to halves. Broughton played all seven games at fullback for Eels and while she scored just one try last season, Broughton registered at least five tackle busts in six of her seven appearances. Broughton finished with the most tackle busts of all NRLW players last season.
In the New South Wales Women's Premiership this year, Broughton primarily played in the halves as captain of Bulldogs. This included the semi-final and final which Bulldogs lost 0-1 against Mounties, perhaps pointing to a change of roles for Broughton in NRLW. Broughton led Bulldogs to a 7-3 record in NSWWP and the finals push suggests that her mahi in the halves was impressive, which is balanced by Broughton's tackling stats from NRLW last season.
Broughton finished with 29 tackles @ 67.4%, almost missing half as many tackles as she made at fullback. Broughton's first game last season saw her make three tackles and miss five tackles. This did improve though with Broughton rolling out her best performance in the last game of the season with eight tackle busts, two offloads, seven tackles made and one miss.
More footy has already delivered improvement for Broughton and she could benefit from the ideal halves partner in veteran halfback Ali Brigginshaw. This would allow Broughton to play a greater running role while Brigginshaw steers Broncos around, plus Broughton has proven her ability to develop defensively.
Mele Hufanga - Broncos
Alongside Broughton in the Broncos squad is Mele Hufanga who has already dominated a Rugby League World Cup with Kiwi Ferns, without playing NRLW. Hufanga's best asset is her powerful running and she will likely enjoy a style of play with Broncos that amplifies her strengths.
Hufanga spent most of her RLWC reps at right centre and Broncos success in NRLW was built around powerful running, led by Aotearoa's Amber Hall who now moves to Roosters. Last season however, Broncos didn't have a player in the top-10 for post contact metres and just one player in the top-10 for tackle busts. That will be boosted by Broughton, but Hufanga forecasts as the most powerful back in NRLW and her impact out wide could be immense for Broncos.
Teuila Fotu-Moala - Roosters
Prior to a break from top-level footy, Teuila Fotu-Moala was one of the best edge forwards in women's rugby league. Fotu-Moala could still operate at edge forward for Roosters and with Hall in the other edge forward slot, that would be fantastic. While playing for Bears in NSWWP this season though, Fotu-Moala started a bunch of games as a middle forward and came off the bench in other games. Bears finished the NSWWP regular season at the top of the ladder with a 8-2 record.
Along with Broughton playing halves in NSWWP, where Fotu-Moala plays for Roosters will inform folks about different roles when moving between NSWWP and NRLW. Given Fotu-Moala's power and mobility that saw her thrive out on an edge, she is nicely suited to middle forward mahi in 2023. This could deliver a middle forward pair of Fotu-Moala and Mya Hill-Moana which would be just as fantastic as the Fotu-Moala/Hall edge pair.
Abigail Roache - Knights
Lost among all the fabulous storylines of the Kiwi Ferns RLWC campaign last year was the rise of Abigail Roache. This started with Roache winning Auckland's Cathy Friend Women's Player of the Year award thanks to her mahi with Richmond and despite initially missing out on the Kiwi Ferns RLWC squad, Roache was a late call up due to an injury to Kararaina Wira-Kohu.
Roache went from not cracking the Kiwi Ferns squad and not being selected for the first two games, to then starting in the halves for a pool game against Australia, a semi-final against England and the final against Australia. Now Roache is with the defending champions and is listed as a centre for Knights. Having already played RLWC finals games in the halves, Roache could start at centre for Knights thanks to her sound defensive mahi and command greater opportunities as the season progresses.
Alexis Tauaneai - Dragons
Introducing the best NRLWahine youngster you don't know about. Alexis Tauaneai joins the Dragons squad after dominating footy in Aotearoa and Australia as a middle forward. Tauaneai earned NZRL Under 18 Player of the Year honours last year while juggling both codes with Wainuiomata and at the representative level for Wellington.
Her move to Australia this year to play with Bulldogs saw her win the NSWRL Tarsha Gale Cup (U19) Player of the Year. Tauaneai then won the National Women's Champioship Player of the Tournament and was starting prop in the Team of the Tournament. After dominating Tarsha Gale Cup, Tauaneai featured in the Bulldogs NSWWP team alongside a bunch of Aotearoa wahine and she started both finals games at prop.
Tauaneai is likely to demand selection for Dragons and spend the early stages of NRLW coming off the bench. Having quickly climbed up the Bulldogs NSWWP depth chart, Tauaenai may do the same in NRLW and her pedigree suggests that Tauaneai will be a consistent figure in the Dragons forward pack this season.
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