Star power and new talent make up the Kiwi Ferns squad named to face Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday.
All but two of the players named have come from clubs in Australia in the previous season, with some moving there to continue their rugby league dreams following the New Zealand Warriors' withdrawal from the NRLW.
The two most recent locally based players include 2022 NZRL Sky Sport Women’s Premiership MVP Laishon Albert-Jones, who will make her debut, and Counties Manukau’s Christyl Stowers.
Broncos’ Amy Turner and the Dragons’ Page McGregor will make their debuts in the centres while leading try scorer in the 2021 NRLW season, Madison Bartlett, will play on the wing.
Bartlett scored six tries for St George Illawarra last season.
Broncos powerhouse Roxy Murdoch is set to pull on the black jersey for the first time having been named in the Ferns’ second-row,
Experienced hooker Krystal Rota will captain the side with seasoned veteran Nita Maynard returning to international league after missing out in 2020 due to being based in Australia.
Game: Saturday 25th June at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland – 3:10pm
Kiwi Ferns team:
1. Autumn-Rain Stephens Daly
2. Madison Bartlett
3. Page McGregor
4. Amy Turner
5. Katelyn Vaha’akolo
6. Laishon Albert-Jones
7. Raecene McGregor
8. Annetta-Claudia Nuuausala
9. Krystal Rota (c)
10. Mya Hill-Moana
11. Roxy Murdoch-Masila
12. Ngatokotoru Arakua
13. Georgia Hale
Reserves:
14. Nita Maynard
15. Charlotte Scanlan
16. Kararaina Wira-Kohu
17. Christyl Stowers
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