The 2026 NRLW season has already started with eight NRLWahine involved in the Knights win vs Raiders. The opening game of the season captured the NRLWahine vista nicely with a mix of regions in Aotearoa represented along with an Australian based players who chose to play for the Kiwi Ferns in Najvada George and Shanice Parker.

Annessa Biddle showed the quality of women's rugby league in New Zealand by quickly dominating NRLW for Sharks after coming through Otara. Another Otara junior Fane Finau has had a similar journey after leaving Auckland to work her way through the Knights. The Knights also had Tenika Willison from the illustrious Taharoa sporting whanau, Waitara's Tiana Davison and Wairoa's Amelia Pasikala in their team for round one.

There is growing South Island flavour as well with Papanui junior Jaydika Tafua working her way through the Sharks system in recent years and she was on the bench for round one. NZ Warriors don't have any South Island players but Sydnenham's Martha Mataele is on the wing for Eels again and Hokitika's Rosie Kelly forms an all Aotearoa halves combination with Kiwi Fern Abigail Roache at Cowboys. Southland's Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell has battled through recent season so her selection as a starting edge forward for Cowboys is also notable.

Northland continues to produce NRLWahine with Kaikohe's Kerri Johnson on the wing for Broncos again and she is joined by Moerew's Daynah Nankivell who is named at centre for her first game of NRLW for Bulldogs. Ocean Tierney isn't named for round one but she is part of the NZ Warriors squad and comes from Tinopai, showing the pathways on offer by commanding an opportunity with NZ Warriors thanks to her mahi for Northern Swords.

Wellington is well represented, led by Alexis and Trinity Tauaneai who are Wainuiomata juniors. Alexis is starting prop for Bulldogs and Trinity will come off the bench for Dragons, along with Mangere East junior Seriah Palepale who is part of a hearty wave of Mangere East juniors in NRLW.

Another Wainuiomata junior in Te Ngaroahiahi Fanua Awhina Rimoni is part of the Titan wider squad and Te Aroha/Randwick junior Maarire Puketapu is starting at edge forward for NZ Warriors. Eketahuna's Shakira Baker is the other edge forward for NZ Warriors so both come from the same zone of the North Island, while there are plenty of NZ Warriors wahine from Waikato and the east coast of the North Island as well.

Shannon Mato has links back to Wellington and she has flipped from representing Australia to Aotearoa in a World Cup year. Bulldogs centre Monica Tagoai is also from Wellington and she is her second NRLW season, one of many NRLWahine named for Bulldogs for their opening game against NZ Warriors.

Bulldogs have been the most active NRLW organisation in recruiting women from Aotearoa, filling their system with young wahine before they even had an NRLW team. This flowed into their first season of NRLW footy and almost half of their round one squad played some kind of junior footy in New Zealand, plus they have similar numbers in their NSW Women's Premiership squad this weekend.

Many of whom are Mangere East juniors and there are two notable young women named for round one in Mary-Jane Taito and Giovanna Suani who have progressed through the grades at Bulldogs to now be named on the bench in their return to Aotearoa. Two other Mangere East juniors are part of touring party in Evelyn Roberts and Siminia Lokotui, while former Waitakere College student Shaquaylah Mahakitau-Monschau has a fantastic opportunity as a starting half for Bulldogs.

Shaquaylah's aunty Shaniece Monschau played for Bulldogs last season and she has moved to Tigers where she is named to start at prop. They are playing against Eels who has Taupo's Boss Kapua shifting from edge forward to prop and both are named in number 10 jerseys, offering another snapshot of the NRLWahine takeover.

NZ Warriors team vs Bulldogs

Apii Nicholls: Auckland
Lavinia Tauhalaliku: Auckland
Tysha Ikenasio: Auckland
Emmanita Paki: Australia
Payton Takimoana: Bay of Plenty
Gayle Broughton: Taranaki
Patricia Maliepo: Auckland
Annetta Nu'uausala: Auckland
Capri Paekau: Waikato
Mya Hill-Moana: Waikato
Maarire Puketapu: Wellington
Shakira Baker: Wairarapa
Ashlee Matapo: Auckland
Jasmin Huriwai: Aotearoa/Australia
Harata Butler: Waikato
Christabelle Onesemo-Tuilaepa: Samoa
Metanoia Fetalaiga: Auckland
Natalia Hickling: Lismore
Stacey Waaka: Bay of Plenty
Felila Kia: Brisbane

Squad

Mele Hufanga: Auckland
Tyra Wetere: Bay of Plenty
Anastasia Sekene: Auckland
Ocean Tierney: Northland
Ivana Lauitiiti: Auckland
Matekino Grey: Bay of Plenty
Kaiyah Atai: Auckland

NRLWahine named for Australian teams...

Sharks

Annessa Biddle: Auckland
Najvada George: Melbourne
Jaydika Tafua: Christchurch

Knights

Shanice Parker: Perth
Tenika Willison: Waikato
Tiana Davison: Taranaki
Fane Finau: Auckland
Amelia Pasikala: Hawke's Bay
Cheyelle Robins-Reti: Taranaki

Titans

Georgia Hale: Auckland
Sarina Masaga: Auckland
Te Ngaroahiahi Fanua Awhina Rimoni: Wellington

Roosters

Otesa Pule: Auckland

Dragons

Nita Maynard: Poverty Bay
Brooke Anderson: Sydney
Trinity Tauaneai: Wellington
Seriah Palepale: Auckland

Raiders

Leianne Tufuga: Auckland
Mackenzie Wiki: Auckland
Grace Kukutai: Auckland

Broncos

Kerri Johnson: Northland
Brianna Clark: Queensland
Shannon Mato: Wellington

Cowboys

Abigail Roache: Auckland
Rosie Kelly: West Coast
Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell: Southland

Eels

Martha Mataele: Canterbury
Boss Kapua: Waikato

Tigers

Raecene McGregor: Sydney
Shaniece Monschau: Auckland

Bulldogs

Moana Courtenay: Auckland
Daynah Nankivell: Northland
Monica Tagoai: Wellington
Shaquaylah Mahakitau-Monschau: Auckland
Angelina Teakaraanga Katoa: Sydney
Alexis Tauaneai: Wellington
Mary-Jane Taito: Auckland
Giovanna Suani: Auckland
Evelyn Roberts: Auckland
Maatuleio Fotu-Moala: Auckland
Simina Lokotui: Auckland

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