All four New Zealand Warriors teams will play against Bulldogs in Sydney on Saturday in a epic game day of rugby league between the two organisations. Bulldogs don't have any players from Aotearoa in their wider squad of 23 to play NZW in the NRL game but their other three teams feature impressive clusters of players from Aotearoa...

NRLW

Moana Courtenay (North Shore), Ash Quinlan (Turangi), Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa (Auckland), Shannon Muru (Mt Albert), Alexis Tauaeani (Wainuiomata), Shanice Monschau (Mt Albert), Paea Uilou (Katikati)

NSW Cup

Cassius Tia (Mt Albert), Taniela Otukolo (Otahuhu), Alekolasimi Jones (St Paul's College), Zyon Maiu'u (Te Atatu)

Jersey Flegg Cup

Roy Tatupu (Mt Albert Grammar), Bronson Reuben (Kaiapoi), Sosaia Alatini (Hornby), Kaawyn Patterson (Dargaville), Malachi Filipo (Mt Albert)

Otukolo and Maiu'u have played NRL for NZW. Patterson was part of the 2024 Harold Matthews Cup championship team for NZW and he started the year in SG Ball Cup, now he's getting plenty of game time at the U21 level. Filipo played U21s for NZW last year and has been a regular in the Bulldogs Jersey Flegg Cup team this season.

There is also the battle for Canterbury after Bulldogs grabbed an official partnership with Canterbury Rugby League. The only players named for Bulldogs in their four grades from the Canterbury region are Reuben and Alatini. Another Christchurch junior Genesis Ah Kam Sherlock (Linwood) started the year in SG Ball Cup and he has been playing Ron Massey Cup (men's footy in Sydney) for Bulldogs, adding another connection between Bulldogs and NZW as they both make the most of all grades available to them.

Reuben, Alatini, Patterson and Filipo have had stints in RMC as well as Bulldogs manage their development. NZW always have a bunch of their juniors playing Fox Memorial in Auckland which gives their U19 lads game time against men and opportunities for the U21s who aren't playing Jersey Flegg Cup. Pt Chevalier has a clear Autex connection so lots of NZW juniors are usually in that team, with Noah Jensen being a funky example as he played SG Ball Cup in the halves and is getting lots of games as a half for Pt Chev.

Dezman Laban has played for Pt Chev as well as Jersey Flegg Cup this year, while two youngsters who NZW recruited from Australia in James Marriott and Mitchell Bebbington are playing for Pt Chev most weekends. Daeon Amituanai has played for Otahuhu and another deep cut is Waka Tate playing for Mt Albert after playing SG Ball Cup.

Not all NRL organisations have access to their own reserve grade, U21, U19 and U17 teams. NZW for example don't have a women's reserve grade team below their NRLW group and none of the Queensland teams have their own reserve grade teams. Bulldogs have a full menu of teams for their junior talent to build up to NRL/NRLW level and NZW have now established a pipeline in which their best young talent can play against adults before stepping up to reserve grade.

Back to the Canterbury connection and NZW have Tanner Stowers-Smith (Halswell) who was aligned with Bulldogs before joining NZW. He's on the NRL bench, while Makaia Tafua (Linwood) and Jason Salalilo (Papanui) are U21s playing lots of NSW Cup.

Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (20yrs) on NRL debut:

24mins,7 runs - 56m @ 8m/run, 1 offload and 20 tackles @ 95.2%.

Averaging 93m/game and 97.2% tackling in NSW Cup this season. 80mins in 12/14 games, 70+ mins in all 14https://t.co/aiOHI6e8N3 #UpTheWahs
— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) August 5, 2025

Tanner Stowers-Smith (21yrs) grinding through his first NRL season...

20+ minutes in 5/7 games
56m/game and 93.2% tackling

In NSW Cup he had 40+ minutes in 7/9 games with 115m/game and 92% tackling #UpTheWahs https://t.co/1NQPJI046w
— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) August 5, 2025

Aside from being one of the most active NRL/NRLW organisations recruiting from Aotearoa, Bulldogs aren't doing anything crazy in terms of dominating the Canterbury region. NZW are highly active in the South Island and have notable Christchurch juniors in Lennox Tuiloma and Bishop Neal (Hornby) on the rise, plus other organisations are establishing connections such as Roosters linking with Rolleston College for a South Island base.

Bulldogs do go above and beyond in their love for Aotearoa though. Not only do they have at least four players from Aotearoa in the three teams listed above, their NSW Women's Premiership team is full of wahine from Aotearoa as well. Some of these players are part of their NRLW squad but Bulldogs were recruiting ladies from Aotearoa before they had an NRLW team and they continue to fill their women's pipeline with NRLWahine...

NSW Women's Premiership vs Illawara

Sarahcen Oliver (Petone), Simina Lokotui (Mangere East), Shaquaylah Mahakitau-Monschau (Waitakere College/St Peter's Cambridge), Lahnayah Daniel (Mahakitau-Monschau | Waitakere College), Summer van Gelder (Mt Albert), Waimarie Martin (Northland), Tusitina Fale (Otahuhu) - Milahn Ieremia (Marist), Maatuleio Fotu-Moala (Otahuhu)

Maatuleio Fotu-Moala is named on the extended bench for the Bulldogs in NRLW and NSW Women's Premiership, so there is a chance that she plays NRLW against sister Metanoia who is starting prop for the women Warriors.

Lots of NRLWahine started their Aussie chapters with Bulldogs, but none of the players named for NZW this weekend have links to Bulldogs. Mya Hill-Moana (Taniwharau) hasn't played yet this season and she was initially recruited by Bulldogs have in 2019/20 before they had an NRLW team, then she started her NRLW career with Roosters.

There is crossover with the NRL coaches as well as Andrew Webster and Cameron Ciraldo were both assistant coaches at Penrith Panthers, then they took up head coaching roles for their current teams. Both started their head coaching mahi in 2023 and here's how their three seasons in charge have played out so far...

(Warriors | Bulldogs)

2023: 4th | 15th
2024: 13th | 6th
2025: 4th | 3rd

Both teams have been top-four in two of their three seasons under Webster and Ciraldo, while revamping their development pipelines. Andrew McFadden isn't as trendy as Phil Gould but he has been just as influential in building the development system as Gould, with both organisations investing heavily in things like scouting networks, housing juniors in Auckland/Sydney as well as training camps outside those cities.

Much has been made about NZW recruiting blokes and wahine from rugby union, to the extent that NZW themselves celebrate the number of players in their system who played rugby union. NZW aren't doing anything unique though because at least half of all Kiwi-NRL juniors play 1st 15 rugby and other organisations like Bulldogs are doing similar scouting of players from rugby union who didn't play league.

Monica Tagoai isn't playing NRLW this round but the former Black Fern has played three games at centre for Bulldogs this season. Moana Courtenay was recruited from North Harbour/North Shore rugby club and she has played all four games at centre for Bulldogs, while Roy Tatupu joined Bulldogs out of 1st 15 rugby at Mt Albert Grammar.

Tatupu was part of a couple Blues Under 18 development squads alongside Leka Halasima (NZW), Etuate Fukofuka (NZW), Sio Kali (NZW), Tevita Naufahu (Dolphins), Elijah Rasmussen (Dolphins).

Another funky connection is in the halves where Bulldogs have Cassius Tia (NSW Cup) and Bronson Reuben (Jersey Flegg Cup) from Aotearoa named this weekend, while NZW have been busy recruiting halves from Australia. NZW have Luke Metcalf and Tanah Boyd who have played NRL this season, then there are Luke Hanson, Jett Cleary and Jack Thompson who all moved from Australia to Mt Smart.

Here are some stats and info for NZ Warriors vs Bulldogs...

NZ Warriors | Bulldogs across four grades...

NRL: 4th | 3rd
NRLW: 10th | 6th
NSW Cup: 1st | 8th
Jersey Flegg Cup: 9th | 6th

NRL stat match up

Possession

Warriors: 10th - 50%
Bulldogs: 1st - 53%

Set Completion

Warriors: 1st - 82%
Bulldogs: 11th - 79%

Post contact metres

Warriors: 7th - 10,702
Bulldogs: 13th - 10,402

Linebreaks

Warriors: 16th - 75
Bulldogs: 9th - 94

Tackle breaks

Warriors: 11th - 579
Bulldogs: 13th - 566

Dummy half runs

Warriors: 5th - 173
Bulldogs: 14th - 122

Offloads

Warriors: 15th - 142
Bulldogs: 5th - 201

Missed tackles

Warriors: 9th - 613
Bulldogs: 8th - 623

Penalties conceded

Warriors: 17th - 96
Bulldogs: 1st - 119

NRLW stat match up