NRLW 2026: Warriors women target first Premiership with powerhouse lineup
Warriors women celebrate scoring last season. Photo / Photosport
I was in my first year of high school when the Warriors went down to the Roosters in the grand final. I was in my first year out of university when they were pipped by the Sea Eagles. Despite the heartbreak, I’ve kept the faith. It’s this season though, that I truly believe will finally be our year. Because the Warriors have named their strongest team ever to have a crack at the NRLW.
It started with the rebirth last year. After a five-year hiatus, the Warriors women returned. It was clear they meant business from the start, signing the two-time NRLW-winning and Indigenous All Stars coach Ronald Griffiths on a three-year term. With a well-respected coach in place, the talent came next, with Apii Nicholls and Harata Butler being drawn back home and Michaela Brake, Patricia Maliepo and Tysha Ikenasio encouraged to confidently switch codes.
The result was a respectable restart. The team won their first match on home soil and were in the fight for most of the season. Their two blowout losses came against the eventual finalists, the Roosters and the Broncos. At awards night, it was two of the young guns who were given recognition: Ivana Lauitiiti won Tackle of the Year and Payton Takimoana was named on the wing in the Team of the Year.
That it was young talent breaking through for the Warriors isn’t surprising. It’s been New Zealand players who have helped fuel a large part of the growth of the NRLW. It’s no coincidence that around 30% of the player base comes from New Zealand. Ask any school or club coach of an oval-ball code how many NRLW scouts they have seen kicking about and you’ll soon see why. That’s why in the off-season, the Warriors have got more serious about identifying our nation’s talent before the other franchises do.
These efforts were helped massively when they landed a major sponsorship with Harvey Norman, a brand now synonymous with development in women’s league as the naming-rights sponsor of the NRLW’s feeder competition. Starting in Nelson last year, they assembled 20 aspiring athletes and have now run seven more camps, everywhere from Dunedin to Whangārei, building their talent-identification system as well as their brand. Two players from each camp have been invited to join the Warriors for behind-the-scenes access to their double-header in early July.
While these grassroots initiatives will no doubt pay off in the years to come, it’s the big signings this season that have put the competition on notice. The Warriors have bagged no fewer than three of the Broncos Premiership-winning side from last year. Gayle Broughton, Mele Hufunga and Annetta Nu’uausala are all joining the team. Stacey Waaka is another huge pick-up after her impressive league debut in 2024. She scored six tries in six matches for the Broncos before injury sidelined her and Rugby World Cup duty took over last year.
The Warriors start their 2026 campaign against the Bulldogs in the opening round on July 5.
All the pieces are in place for the Aucklanders. The scenes coming out of camp reflect this feeling of hope. These women will have one goal in mind, to finally win the competition for long-suffering New Zealand league fans. While their aim is clear, a good season here will have wider positive impacts. Their coach Griffiths was recently named as the Kiwi Ferns head coach for the Rugby League World Cup at the end of the year. Many of the roster are potential prospects for this tournament; the groundwork laid in the Warriors will no doubt influence the style and shape of the World Cup side.
It’s not rare to be a Warriors fan holding on to hope. But by the time our women are done with this season, we may just see the rarest sight in the franchise’s history: a Warriors team winning a Premiership title.
Alice Soper is a sports columnist for the Herald on Sunday. A former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she has a particular interest in telling stories of the emerging world of women’s sports.