For the second year in a row, New Zealand Warriors started their season with an underwhelming performance after spending the whole summer training harder and smarter than ever before.
New Zealand Warriors start their 2025 NRL season vs Canberra Raiders in a distant land and in the two seasons of the two Andys era, results in the first game have set the tone for how that season unfolds.
Despite losing a couple games in the 2024 Pacific Championships, Aotearoa Kiwis have built out a strong pool of players who have international rugby league experience and have more than enough depth to cover any eligibility quirks.
There are a few notable Kiwi-NRL selections to check in with as pre-season winds down such as Te Hurinui Twidle getting a crack in the halves for Parramatta Eels and former New Zealand Schools rugby union player Tevita Naufahu sticking around the Dolphins squad.
New Zealand Warriors have played two pre-season games with a 12-12 draw vs Cronulla Sharks and a 36-10 win vs Melbourne Storm, offering plenty of funky wrinkles to digest before the NRL season starts.
Plenty more NRL Pre-Season Challenge games are being played over the next few days and this means more Kiwi-NRL deep cuts like Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana, Esom Ioka, Nazareth Taua, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava and the return of Taniela Otukolo.
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.
Nothing tickles New Zealand Warriors anxiety like a young player departing for Australia and just before the first Pre-Season Challenge game vs Cronulla Sharks, Zyon Maiu'u has departed to join Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
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.
New Zealand Warriors have announced their Under 19 SG Ball squad for 2025 and there are a few key notes to highlight ahead of the New South Wales Rugby League junior representative season starting soon.
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.
New Zealand Warriors have a full 'Supplementary List' as well as 12 lads who were reported as being on 'Train/Trial' contracts which means that there are roughly 50 players on contracted duty at Mt Smart this summer.
Tohu Harris has retired and New Zealand Warriors continue to plow forwards under the guidance of the two Andys (McFadden and Webster).
The Kiwi-NRL Summer Guide finishes with Cronulla Sharks, St George Illawara Dragons, Canberra Raiders and Melbourne Storm to check in with lads from Aotearoa who are hunting more NRL footy in 2025
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 Kiwi-NRL Summer Guide wanders around around Sydney to cover the emerging talent from Aotearoa with Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Wests Tigers, Parramatta Eels and Penrith Panthers.
New Zealand Warriors will enter their third NRL season with Andrew Webster as coach and Andrew McFadden leading the recruitment/development department, which has seen a strong pipeline of young talent established and two different seasons of NRL footy on the field.
The Kiwi-NRL Summer Guide moves into New South Wales to cover Newcastle Knights, Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Sydney Roosters.
This Kiwi-NRL guide rolls through the Queensland NRL teams with fringe/development nuggets about North Queensland Cowboys, Redcliffe Dolphins, Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans
There is more clarity around the New Zealand Warriors wider NRL mix as kiwis roll into summer, although there are still murky waters in these estuaries that provide just as much intrigue.