NRL Finals are now joined by NRLW Finals and there are lots of folks from Aotearoa involved in the eight games across both competitions. Brisbane Broncos are in a funky spot as their win vs Canberra Raiders in NRL Finals means they have a rest this week and their women's team finished second in NRLW so they are also having a break.

As covered in the Monday newsletter, Christchurch's Jordan Riki is in the midst of his best NRL season and he played every minute of the golden point banger. Along with the Hornby junior Riki, Broncos had two wingers from Auckland who played every minute of that win with Josiah Karapani (Otahuhu) and Deine Mariner (Marist) providing ample speed and footwork on the edges.

Riki has grown into a top-tier edge forward for NZ Kiwis and could be a regular starter during the Pacific Championships. Karapani and Mariner are on track to represent Samoa.

The Broncos wahine have been cruising through another NRLW season with their regular crew of NRLWahine in Mele Hufanga (Auckland), Gayle Broughton (Hawera), Brianna Clark (Sarina - QLD) and Annetta Nu'uausala (Auckland). Kaikohe's Kerri Johnson has emerged as an impressive winger for Broncos in her first season of rugby league and she was recently joined by Gisborne's Azalleyah Maaka who has crept on to the bench in recent weeks.

Maaka has earned selection ahead of Tafito Lafaele (Auckland), with Lafaele only playing one game this season. Lafaele could play for Samoa alongside Nu'uausala and Johnson's form could see her join Hufanga, Broughton and Clark in the Kiwi Ferns mix.

Sydney Roosters are the best team in NRLW with Auckland's Kiwi Ferns duo of Amber Hall and Otesa Pule churning out exceptional mahi in their forward. Every team, including Roosters and Broncos, involved in NRLW finals has at least two NRLWahine from Aotearoa in their squads. Here are the NRLWahine named for the first round of finals...

Newcastle Knights

Shanice Parker (Perth), Tenika Willison (Taharoa), Tiana Davison (Waitara), Fane Finau (Auckland) - Grace Kukutai (Auckland)

Parker and Davison are likely to feature for Kiwi Ferns and they should be joined by Willison who continues to shine at centre for Knights. After two NRLW games, Otara junior Finau is named as a starting edge forward in finals footy and she has played all 70 minutes in both games.

Gold Coast Titans

Georgia Hale (Auckland) - Ngatokotoru Arakua (Auckland), Sarina Masaga (Auckland)

Arakua and Masaga are named on the extended bench, leaving Hale as the only NRLWahine named in the Titans team. Hale has quietly added more running oomph to her excellent tackling and passing as a middle forward. Here are her per game stats with Titans...

2021: 56m | 19.2 post contact metres | 95.1% tackling
2022: 61m | 21.8 pcm | 96.9% tackling
2023: 106m | 35.1 pcm | 98.8% tackling
2024: 100m | 37.2 pcm | 96.9% tackling
2025: 112m | 42.4 pcm | 97.5% tackling

North Queensland Cowboys

Abigail Roache (Auckland) - Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell (Invercargill), Rosie Kelly (Hokitika)

Bit of a bummer for Kelly as she drops out of the Cowboys team again. Kiwi Ferns coach Ricky Henry has yanked Kelly in and out of the Cowboys halves. Kelly played her first five games in the #6 jersey and then missed some games before returning as a halfback, now she is named on the extended bench.

Cronulla Sharks

Brooke Anderson (Sydney), Jaydika Tafua (Christchurch), Tyla King (Auckland)

Annessa Biddle is out injured and Tafua has gone from bench forward in her first three games to starting her last four games as an edge forward, with 50+ minutes in all four games. Tafua is the only NRLWahine from Christchurch in NRLW Finals and her younger brother Makaia is named for NZ Warriors in NSW Cup finals.

Melbourne Storm are the other NRL team who are chillin' this weekend. Despite not having Jahrome Hughes and Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Wellington) in their team that defeated Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, there is a sneaky crew of Kiwi-NRL players at Storm who are getting the job done.

Will Warbrick (Kawerau) has been in fabulous form since returning from injury...

vs Roosters: 17 runs - 129m @ 7.5m/run, 1 try assist, 5 tackle breaks, 4 tackles @ 100%
vs Broncos: 1 try, 15 runs - 136m @ 9m/run, 5 tackle breaks, 2 tackles @ 67%
vs Bulldogs: 1 try, 22 runs - 294m @ 13.3m/run, 10 tackle breaks, 5 tackles @ 71%

Alec MacDonald (Auckland), Joe Chan (Sydney) and Ativalu Lisati (Auckland) featured in the forward pack vs Bulldogs. Chan and Lisati offer versatility in their roles, while MacDonald's speed and gritty mahi make him an intriguing option for NZ Kiwis. MacDonald has played 40+ minutes in each of his last three games. He had four games of 40+ minutes early in the season and a three game run of 40+ minutes mid-season.

Canberra Raiders

Matthew Timoko (Auckland), Sebastian Kris (Canberra), Joseph Tapine (Wellington), Simi Sasagi (Auckland), Ata Mariota (Auckland) - Danny Levi (Wellington)

Same Kiwi-NRL group for Raiders. Timoko had at least one tackle break in every game this season until the round 26 game vs Tigers and that was followed by no tackle breaks vs Broncos. Tapine had at least one offload in eight consecutive games before having none vs Broncos.

Cronulla Sharks

Ronaldo Mulitalo (Auckland), KL Iro (Auckland), Briton Nikora (Tauranga), Braden Hamlin-Uele (Auckland) - Mawene Hiroti (New Plymouth)

Mulitalo has at least one linebreak in his last seven games and he had at least three tackle breaks in seven consecutive games until he had none vs Roosters. Nikora is named on the bench for the second game in a row having started most, if not all of his games for Sharks at edge forward in recent years. Nikora played 28 minutes vs Roosters and Hamlin-Uele played 29 minutes coming off the bench.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Sitili Tupouniua (Marist)

Even though Tupouniua has played less minutes in less games for Bulldogs compared to last year with Roosters, he is averaging more metres and tackle breaks per game...

2024: 21 games, 52.5mins, 59m, 1.2 tackle breaks
2025: 11 games, 37.3mins, 100m, 1.9 tackle breaks

Penrith Panthers

Casey McLean (Sydney), Moses Leota (Auckland), Scott Sorenson (Sydney), Isaiah Papali'i (Auckland)

Isaiah Papali'i went crazy in 39 minutes vs Warriors...

1 try, 19 runs - 182m @ 9.5m/run, 2 tackle breaks, 1 offload, 20 tackles @ 80%

No forward had more runs or run metres than Papali'i from either team. Erin Clark was the only other starting forward who had less than 40mins and he had 14 runs - 116m @ 7.7m/run in 37mins.

McLean's first two seasons of NRL...

2024: 7 games, 3 tries, 2 try assists, 121m/game, 87.1% tackling
2025: 21 games, 16 tries, 9 try assists, 128m/game, 83.8% tackling

Leota is averaging a few more minutes and more metres without James Fisher-Harris...

2024: 40.9mins, 92m, 90.7% tackling
2025: 43.5mins, 104m, 95% tackling

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