Tagged with: NRLWahine
New Zealand Warriors have assembled an impressive group of elite talent for the 2026 NRLW season with a bunch of champions from Brisbane Broncos returning to Aotearoa and more players making the switch from rugby union to eat up the greater opportunities that NRLW provides.
Brisbane Broncos were always among the best recruiters of Aotearoa rugby league talent but their NRL and NRLW championships in 2025 blew them past all other organisations in Australia.
Jordan Riki will be the only player from the Christchurch region in the NRL or NRLW Grand Final but his 2025 NRL season reflects the continued rise of rugby league in the South Island's biggest city.
New Zealand Warriors women didn't make the NRLW Finals in 2025 but they showed their mana in dealing with adversity and offered many positive flashes throughout the season that will provide strong foundations to build upon.
NRL Finals are now joined by NRLW Finals and there are lots of folks from Aotearoa involved in the eight games across both competitions.
New Zealand Warriors Women have won two games in a row and this Saturday they play the first of three games in Hamilton against Canberra Raiders who are yet to win an NRLW game this season.
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.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have started their first NRLW season with two wins and almost half of their team coming from Aotearoa.
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.
The 2025 NRLW season is approaching and the return of New Zealand Warriors combined with the growth of women's rugby league in Aotearoa means there is an abundance of NRLWahine talent on offer this year.
New Zealand Women Warriors added another play-maker to their 2025 NRLW roster in Patricia Maliepo and still have a few spots available in their NRLWahine squad.
NRL Pre-Season Challenge starts this weekend along with trials for Broncos and Dolphins, as well as Under 19 footy in Queensland where there is an impressive group of youngsters from Aotearoa named in both the men's and women's teams for Burleigh.
Under 19 SG Ball/Tasha Gale Cup footy kicks off this weekend and while New Zealand Warriors have an SG Ball game vs Manly Sea Eagles in Sydney, there are a bunch of young men and women from Aotearoa named for Australian teams.
Having started their NRLW squad building with some of Aotearoa's best rugby league players, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have gone deeper to scout more wahine from New Zealand and this includes a development pipeline that has already integrated young talent into their system.
The third wave of New Zealand Warriors women signings has flowed down the river with Michaela Blyde, Tysha Ikenasio, Payton Takimoana, Kalyn Takitimu-Cook, Makayla Eli, Emily Curtain, Felila Kia, Lavinia Kitai, Lydia Turua-Quedley, Kaiyah Atai, Maarire Puketapu and Danii Gray locked in for the women Warriors return to NRLW.
The annual check in with Kiwi-NRL Juniors Who Helped Australian Teams Make Finals is slightly different this year as there was no Under 21 Hastings Deering Colts competition in Queensland.
All four teams in the NRL/NRLW Grand Finals have at least two players from or representing Aotearoa and that delivers lots of enticing wrinkles relating to New Zealand rugby league.
New Zealand Women Warriors continue to build their NRLW squad by signing Laishon Albert-Jones, Emmanita Paki, Lavinia Tauhalaliku, Matekino Gray, Shakira Baker and Tyra Wetere.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are showing their investment in rugby league talent from Aotearoa with a bunch of NRLWahine locked in for their first NRLW season as well as a pipeline full of young ladies from Aotearoa.
The New Zealand Women Warriors have started to build their 2025 NRLW squad by signing Apii Nicholls, Mya Hill-Moana, Harata Butler and Capri Paekau, who have all played for Aotearoa Kiwi Ferns.