All The NRLWahine Named In 2025 NRLW Round Tahi
The 2025 NRLW season starts this week and while the return of NZ Warriors offers a hefty boost to women's rugby league in Aotearoa, Bulldogs will enter their first NRLW season with eight women from New Zealand in their team and there are plenty of new NRLWahine sprinkled among the other Australian teams.
There are 20 NRLWahine debutants named across all teams for round one. NZWW have nine in their team named to play against Roosters and Bulldogs have five, so there are 14 NRLWahine debutants in the two new additions to NRLW in 2025. There is a fabulous mix of regions represented in the debutant group as well as all NRLWahine named for the first round with a few wahine from the South Island and Christchurch specficially, as well as a funky pockets such as Wellington, Taranaki, Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
Below are all the NRLWahine named for round tahi. The NRLWahine umbrella is the female version of Kiwi-NRL so it follows the same general rules of highlighting players who played junior footy in Aotearoa or have chosen to represent Aotearoa Kiwi Ferns. This does not include wahine from New Zealand who have opted to play State of Origin or represent Australia.
Players are listed with their junior rugby league club, rugby union club or the area they come from in New Zealand and Australia. For some players this information isn't easily found and so a best attempt is made to connect them to a grassroots region in Aotearoa. Some players may have been missed in the vast number of NRLWahine selected so mistakes are bound to happen.
Sharks
Annessa Biddle: Otara - Auckland
Jaydika Tafua: Papanui - Christchurch
Tafua is selected on the bench to make her debut and is likely to spend time at edge forward. No Tyla King (New Lynn) named for the first round.
Eels
Martha Mataele: Christchurch Girls High School - Christchurch
Mataele is named on the wing for her debut.
Bulldogs
Simina Lokotui: Mangere East - Auckland
Moana Courtenay: North Shore RU - Auckland
Ash Quinlan: Turangi - Waikato
Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa: Auckland
Alexis Tauaneai: Wainuiomata - Wellington
Shaquaylah Mahakitau-Monschau: Waitakere College/St Peter's Cambridge
Shaniece Moncshau: Mt Albert - Auckland
Shannon Muru: Mt Albert - Auckland
Squad: Paea Uilou (Katikati/Manurewa)
Lokotui is listed as being on a development contract but she debuts at centre to show how contracts don't matter to fans. Tauaneai is named at edge forward in an interesting move after she burst on to the scene as one of the best middle forwards in NRLW as a teenager. Mahakitau-Monschau gets a bench utiility spot after playing as a half in the Bulldogs system, making her debut alongside her aunty Monshcau who will probably roll through the middle with Muru.
Knights
Shanice Parker: Perth
Tenika Willison: Taharoa - Waikato
Tiana Davison: Clifton RU - Taranaki
Grace Kukutai: Lynfield College - Auckland
Parker and Willison are named as the starting centres. Davison returns to Knights where she is named at starting prop and Kukutai will probably come off the bench to play middle forward.
Broncos
Kerri Johnson: Kaikohe - Northland
Mele Hufanga: Southern Cross Campus - Auckland
Gayle Broughton: Hawera - Taranaki
Brianna Clark: Sarina - Queensland
Tafito Lafaele: Papatoetoe RU - Auckland
Squad: Annetta Nu'uausala (Otara), Azalleyah Maaka (Gisborne - BOP)
Johnson is on the wing for her debut and she may play on the same edge as centre Hufanga. Broughton and Clark keep their usual roles for Broncos, with Lafaele adding oomph on the bench.
Tigers
Terina Te Tamaki: Hamilton - Waikato
Te Tamaki is on the wing for her debut.
Raiders
Cheyelle Robins-Reti: Taranaki
Madison Bartlett: Wairoa - Hawke's Bay
Leianne Tufuga: Otara - Auckland
Mackenzie Wiki: Manurewa - Auckland
Isabella Waterman: Sydenham - Christchurch
Squad: Tatiana Finau (Mt Albert)
All five outside backs for Raiders are NRLWahine who played junior rugby league/union in Aotearoa. Four of them are Kiwi Ferns with Robins-Reti snapping up the fullback role left by Apii Nicholls and Tufuga moving from Tigers. Bartlett and Wiki are in their usual Raiders roles, while a late switch from Knights seems to have worked well for Waterman as she gets a starting wing spot.
Dragons
Raecene McGregor: Sydney
Pia Tapsell: East Coast Bays RU - Auckland
Nita Maynard: Gisborne - BOP
Trinity Tauaneai: Wainuiomata - Wellington
NRLWahine veteran McGregor is in her regular halfback role and Maynard is on the bench as a dummy half. Tapsell and Tauaneai are named for their NRLW debuts. Tapsell was part of the Sharks squad last year but didn't play and is now starting prop in her debut, while 18-year-old Tauaneai is on the bench for her first game and will probably roll through the middle.
Cowboys
Abigail Roache: Richmond - Auckland
Rosie Kelly: Hokitika - West Coast
Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell: Ivercargill - Southland
Najvada George: Melbourne
Kiwi Ferns coach Ricky Henry has got Roache in her usual centre role, but he has shifted Kelly into the halves after she played as a centre for Eels last year. Ormond-Maunsell struggled for a regular role with Titans in recent years and is straight in as starting edge forward against her former team, while George can play edge and middle so she will be a useful player to have on the bench.
Titans
Georgia Hale: Richmond - Auckland
Ngatokotoru Arakua: Manurewa - Auckland
Hale and Arakua will probably play through the middle but Arakua can do edge forward mahi.
Roosters
Otesa Pule: Otara - Auckland
Squad: Amber Hall - Richmond
Pule is at starting prop and she the only NRLWahine in the Roosters team with Hall part of the wider squad.
Warriors
Apii Nicholls: Otahuhu - Auckland
Michaela Brake: Clifton RU - Taranaki
Tysha Ikenasio: Richmond - Auckland
Payton Takimoana: Mt Maunganui RU - BOP
Patricia Maliepo: Marist RU - Auckland
Harata Butler: Taniwharau - Waikato
Capri Paekau: Turangawaewae - Waikato
Shakira Baker: Eketehuna - Wairarapa
Kaiyah Atai: Richmond - Auckland
Laishon Albert-Jones: Pt Chevalier - Auckland
Lydia Turua-Quedley: Richmond - Auckland
Maarire Puketapi: Te Aroha - Wellington
Ashlee Matapo: Glenfield RU/Mt Albert - Auckland
Matekino Gray: Rotorua Girls High School - BOP
Squad: Makayla Eli, Tyra Wetere, Ivana Lauititi, Avery-Rose Carmont
Four of the five outside backs are NRLWahine with Nicholls at fullback, Brake/Takimoana on the wings and Ikenasio at centre. Maliepo is one half of the halves combination, while Paekau and Turua-Quedley are likely to share dummy half mahi with Paekau the starter. Butler and Albert-Jones are two of the three middle forwards. Both edge forwards are NRLWahine with Baker and Atai locked in.
All four bench players are NRLWahine with Turua-Quedley joined by Puketapu, Matapo and Gray. Gray made her debut last year for Titans with edge/middle versatility. Puketapu and Matapo will probably play middle forward, which is especially funky for Matapo who is listed on a development contract and she's so unknown that she doesn't have a last name.
To support The Niche Cache you can join the Patreon whanau or donate through Buy Me A Coffee. A little goes a long way to fund our mahi. Smash an ad.
Peace and love.