New Zealand Kiwi Ferns won the 2008 Rugby League World Cup and since then they have lost three finals against Australia with the worst defeat coming during the 2022 RLWC. Australia put 50 points on the Kiwi Ferns in England after two closer losses in World Cup finals and while they shocked Australia to win the 2023 Pacific Championships, normal service resumed with four consecutive losses against the world's best.

That's the challenge ahead of Kiwi Ferns during the World Cup, although they will need to stay present in each game to avoid any upset defeats. Kiwi Ferns have had relative close games against Tonga (28-10) and Samoa (22-20) during the Pacific Championships and most Aotearoa rugby league fans know that World Cup campaigns can quickly turn into nightmares.

Kiwi Ferns depth has grown considerably as NRLW continues to grow each year. Better career pathways have attracted high performance athletes and that's on display with Stacey Waaka and Tenika Willison selected for the World Cup. There are lots of young women who have excelled in entering NRLW with Annessa Biddle a fabulous example of a player who went from grassroots footy in Auckland to dominating NRLW and quickly progressing into Kiwi Ferns.

This was matched by Ivana Lauitiiti last year with Warriors and Shaniece Monschau has emerged as an excellent forward in her two seasons of NRLW after leaving Auckland. Monschau started with Bulldogs last year and made her Kiwi Ferns debut, then she shown fabulous progress in becoming one of the best players for Tigers this year.

Kaiyah Atai's selection for Kiwi Ferns comes after she went from local footy to play in two seasons of NRLW with Warriors. Trinity Tauaneai was promoted to the Kiwi Ferns squad last year but didn't play and the Wainuiomata junior has followed the path of her older sister Alexis to earn Kiwi Ferns selection within a few years of leaving Aotearoa.

There are similar examples in the experienced group of Kiwi Ferns who have been building towards this World Cup campaign. While the tweak of eligibility rules has added more depth to Kiwi Ferns, there were players born and raised in Australia who have settled in the Kiwi Ferns core in Shanice Parker, Brooke Anderson and Brianna Clark.

Now former Australian reps Shannon Mato and Zahara Temara have entered the mix for Kiwi Ferns, having grown up in Aotearoa before moving to Australia. Mato's presence in the Kiwi Ferns squad gives Aotearoa three of the four starting props from the NRL final along with Clark and Otesa Pule, as part of a middle forward rotation that is just as awesome as the Kiwis squad.

Tamara's selection gives Aotearoa another veteran half alongside Raecene McGregor. They will probably form the starting halves combo but the most surprising selection across all squads is Chantay Kiria-Ratu aligning with Kiwi Ferns after starting her international career with Cook Islands, along with Atai.

Kiria-Ratu is a 21-year-old half who has already played four games for Cook Islands, three State of Origin games and 33 games of NRLW. She is one of the best young halves in NRLW and one of the best kickers in the competition, giving Kiwi Ferns an elite young half to build around over the next few years.

All of which has created amazing depth for Kiwi Ferns and makes selection far more competitive that it's ever been. Some of the players listed below have dipped away from NRLW footy, others have lost form since their debuts, others have simply been overtaken by better players and others are unavailable for various reasons...

Players who made debuts since 2023 not in World Cup squad

Amelia Pasikala, Tyla King, Najvada George, Jasmine Fogavini (Samoa), Cheyelle Robins-Reti, Capri Paekau, Tiana Davison, Gayle Broughton, Mackenzie Wiki, Brooke Talataina, Patricia Maliepo, Tysha Ikenasio, Shakira Baker

It's tricky to predict roles for the Kiwi Ferns squad as so many players can cover multiple positions. Waaka and Willison are both capable of playing wing or centre, same with regular Kiwi Ferns in Parker, Tufuga and Roache who can play a few backline roles each. Biddle has stared most of her Kiwi Ferns Tests at edge forward, not centre where she usually plays for Sharks and the outside back depth suggests that this will continue.

The quality of middle forwards also means that Monschau will probably be an edge forward after covering middle at edge for Tigers this season. Having Georgia Hale and Anderson in the squad together gives Kiwi Ferns two hookers who are capable of playing as small forwards in the middle. The were usually starting at hooker in NRLW for Titans and Dragons before switching to small forward during games.

With McGregor, Temara and Kiria-Ratu leading the halves group, Ash Quinlan will cover halves and hooker. Parker and Roache are capable of plugging a hole at fullback if Apii Nicholls has any issues, plus there could be a funky role for Waaka to ensure she gets game time.

Squad breakdown by position

Fullback: Apii Nicholls
Outside backs: Shanice Parker, Leianne Tufuga, Mele Hufanga, Abigail Roache, Stacey Waaka, Tenika Willison
Halves/hooker/utility: Raecene McGregor, Georgia Hale, Brooke Anderson, Ash Quinlan, Zahara Temara, Chantay Kiria-Ratu
Middle: Otesa Pule, Brianna Clark, Alexis Tauaneai, Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa, Shannon Mato, Ivana Lauitiiti, Trinity Tauaneai
Edge: Shaniece Monschau, Annessa Biddle, Kaiyah Atai

The only bummer in the Kiwi Ferns squad is how there are no players from the South Island. This will change as more young women from Christchurch and other regions enter NRLW systems. Isabella Waterman is a Sydenham junior from Christchurch who is in Fiji's squad and there are youngsters like Manisha Seebeck (Hornby) on the rise with Roosters.

Squad breakdown by region

Shannon Mato was born in Whangarei and raised in Wellington.

Auckland: Apii Nicholls, Leianne Tufuga, Mele Hufanga, Annessa Biddle, Abigail Roache, Georiga Hale, Otesa Pule, Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa, Ivana Lauitiiti, Shaniece Monschau, Chantay Kiria-Ratu, Kaiyah Atai
Bay of Plenty: Stacey Waaka, Zahara Temara
Waikato: Ash Quinlan, Tenika Willison
Wellington: Alexis Tauaneai, Trinity Tauaneai
Australia: Shanice Parker, Raecene McGregor, Brooke Anderson, Brianna Clark

Support independent New Zealand sports coverage by joining us on Patreon or making a donation through Buy Me A Coffee.