Vodafone Warriors links abound in the Kiwi Ferns’ 19-strong squad for the one-off international against Tonga at Mount Smart Stadium on June 25.
Featuring in the selection are three Warriors Community Foundation staff – Charlotte Scanlan, Katelyn Vaha'akolo and Laishon Albert-Jones – as well as Roxy Murdoch-Masila, whose husband is Vodafone Warriors prop Ben Murdoch-Masila.
Manawatu-raised Scanlan, the foundation’s community programmes coordinator, was with the newly-introduced Newcastle Knights for the postponed 2021 NRLW competition played early this season. As well as playing for the Kiwis Ferns she has been a Black Ferns Sevens rugby union representative.
Vaha’akolo, a community coordinator for the foundation, was also with the Knights for their first NRWL campaign earlier this year. She made her Kiwi Ferns Test debut against Fetu Samoa in 2020 and played for the Māori All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars in Sydney in February.
Albert-Jones also works for the WCF as a community coordinator. Yet to play for the Kiwi Ferns, she’s a niece of Vodafone Warriors head coach Stacey Jones. Playing for the Richmond Roses, she won the Cathy Friend Medal as the Auckland Rugby League’s 2021 women’s player of the year.
As well as the WCF trio, Murdoch-Masila adds more Vodafone Warriors flavour to the Kiwi Ferns’ mix.
After playing for Warrington and St Helens in England, she was signed by the Broncos for the 2021 NRLW season and has represented the Māori All Stars the last two years.
Four former Warriors NRLW players are in the squad – Neta Nu’uausala, Georgia Hale, Krystal Rota and Madison Bartlett.
KIWI FERNS SQUAD
AMY TURNER* (Brisbane Broncos 2021-2022)
ANNETTA-CLAUDIA NU'UAUSALA (Newcastle Knights 2021, Brisbane Broncos 2022)
AUTUMN-RAIN STEPHENS DALY (Newcastle Knights 2021-2022)
CHARLOTTE SCANLAN (Newcastle Knights 2021)
CHRISTYL STOWERS (Counties Manukau)
GEORGIA HALE (Gold Coast Titans 2021-2022)
HAILEE-JAY MAUNSELL* (Gold Coast Titans 2021)
KARARAINA WIRA-KOHU (Newcastle Knights 2021)
KARLI HANSEN (Gold Coast Titans 2021)
KATELYN VAHA'AKOLO (Newcastle Knights 2021)
KRYSTAL ROTA (Newcastle Knights 2021)
LAISHON ALBERT-JONES* (Akarana)
MADISON BARTLETT (St George Illawarra Dragons 2021, Gold Coast Titans 2022)
MYA HILL-MOANA (Sydney Roosters 2021)
NGATOKORUA ARAKUA (Newcastle Knights 2021)
NITA MAYNARD (Parramatta Eels 2021, Brisbane Broncos 2022)
PAGE MCGREGOR* (St George Illawarra Dragons 2021)
RAECENE MCGREGOR (Sydney Roosters 2021)
ROXY MURDOCH-MASILA* (Brisbane Broncos 2021)
Coach | RICKY HENRY
