Trailblazing head coach Luisa Avaiki is buzzing about the prospect of the Vodafone Warriors women’s team making its debut against Auckland in the first leg of tomorrow night’s Women in League double header at Mount Smart Stadium (6.00pm kick-off).
A little more than a week after being named, the Vodafone Warriors warm up for the inaugural NRL women’s premiership with a trial that gives Avaiki a chance to see how the team shapes up.
The occasion sees the club’s men’s and women’s teams sharing the bill on a night when history is made.
“This is so totally special,” said Avaiki.
“We all feel so privileged. It was my hope that one day this would happen, that we would be able to have a first-grade women’s team let alone being able to play a match on the same night as our first-grade men’s team.”
Avaiki today named a trial line-up which features an all-Kiwi Ferns spine with New Zealand Rugby League 2017 women’s player of the year Apii Nicholls at fullback, just-confirmed captain Laura Mariu and Georgia Hale in the halves and Krystal Rota at hooker.
The name Papali’i is in the starting second row in this match and also in the NRL contest to follow with 41-year-old former Kiwi Fern Lorina wearing the No 12 jersey for the women’s team and son Isaiah in jersey No 11 when the men take on Newcastle in the NRL match.
WOMEN’S TRIAL
VODAFONE WARRIORS v AUCKLAND
6.00pm, Friday, August 10, 2018
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 APII NICHOLLS
2 LANGI VEAINU
3 SHONTELLE WOODMAN
4 AMBER KANI
5 HILDA MARIU
6 LAURA MARIU (c)
7 GEORGIA HALE
8 ANNETTA-CLAUDIA NUUAUSALA
9 KRYSTAL ROTA
10 AIESHALEIGH SMALLEY
11 TANIKA-JAZZ NOBLE-BELL
12 LORINA PAPALI’I
13 LUISA GAGO
Interchange:
14 CRYSTAL TAMARUA
15 KAHURANGI PETERS
16 LISA EDWARDS
17 SUI TAUASA-PAUARAISA
18 RAQUEL ANDERSON-PITMAN
20 SARINA CLARK
21 VA’ANESSA MOLIA-FRASER
HEAD COACH | LUISA AVAIKI
