
Development programme benefits are showing through in the 35-strong wider One New Zealand Warriors squad named for the 2025 SG Ball Cup (under-19) season.
New head coach Shannon Rushworth plus assistant coaches and former Warriors Jethro Friend, Albert Vete and Monty Betham are able to call on 28 players who were part of the Harold Matthews Cup (under-17), SG Ball or Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21) rosters last year.
When the SG Ball squad was revealed at the official announcement on Tuesday night, it included 13 players who are stepping up from last year’s premiership-winning Harold Matthews group.
Of them 10 played in the 34-16 grand final win over Western Suburbs – fullback Joseph Ratcliffe, wingers Ezekiel Davidson-Fa’aiuaso and Kairus Booth-Hill, centre Turama Paranihi, halfback Jack Thompson, prop Gordon Afoa and back rowers Deznam Laban and Militoni Sikuvea plus bench players Isaiah Savea and Romana Whitiora. Loose forward Lennox Tuiloma would have been included as well but he's unavailable due to injury.
The other two starting backs in the grand final – centre Jeremiah Lemana and standoff Tyson Hansen – don’t turn 17 until this year so are again in the Harold Matthews squad this season.
Eleven players who appeared at SG Ball Cup or Jersey Flegg Cup level (or both) last year have been selected along with four who were in the wider SG Ball squad but didn’t make any appearances.
Exciting Taranaki-raised former Sydney Roosters centre Kahu Capper is one of the seven new players added to the squad. He was signed on a two-year contract in May last year.
Seven of the players are St Paul’s College products, five are from De La Salle College and four are from the highly-successful St Thomas of Canterbury College in Christchurch, which has won the senior boys’ final the last two years running at the secondary schools’ nationals; another four St Thomas players are in the Warriors’ Harold Matthews squad.
In all 21 New Zealand schools and kura are represented including Otago Boys’ High School and South Otago High School – along with two schools from Australia.
Schools distribution:
7 | St Paul’s College (Auckland)
5 | De La Salle College (Auckland)
3 | St Thomas of Canterbury College (Christchurch)
2 | St Patrick’s College, Silverstream (Upper Hutt), Ngā Taiātea Wharekura (Hamilton)
1 | Mount Albert Grammar School (Auckland), Kaitaia College (Kaitaia), Botany Downs Secondary College (Auckland), St Bernard’s College (Lower Hutt), Kelston Boys’ High School (Auckland), Manurewa High School (Auckland), Saint Kentigern College (Auckland), All Saints College (Maitland, NSW), Palmerston North Boys’ High School (Palmerston North), Waverley College (Sydney, NSW), South Otago High School (Balclutha), Otago Boys’ High School (Dunedin), St Peter’s College (Auckland), Westlake Boys’ High School (Auckland), Christ’s College (Christchurch), Wharekura o Rakaumanga (Huntly), Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Maungarongo (Auckland), Hamilton Boys' High School (Hamilton)
2025 SG Ball Cup squad
Ambrose (Junior) Puluno (De La Salle College, Auckland)
Asher Norman-Te Pou (Mount Albert Grammar School, Auckland)
Augustino Filipo (De La Salle College, Auckland)
Callum Jones (Kaitaia College, Kaitaia)
Compton Purcell (St Paul’s College, Auckland)
Connor Bowden (Botany Downs Secondary College, Auckland)
Dezman Laban (St Bernard’s College, Lower Hutt; Kelston Boys High School, Auckland)
Elijah Solomona (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, Upper Hutt)
Ezekiel Davidson-Fa'aiuaso (St Paul’s College, Auckland)
George Kite (Manurewa High School, Auckland)
Gordon Afoa (St Paul’s College, Auckland)
Hame Kivalu (St Kentigern College, Auckland)
Hiraka Waitai-Haenga (Hamilton Boys’ High School, Hamilton)
Isaiah Savea (St Thomas of Canterbury College, Christchurch)
Jack Thompson (All Saints College, Maitland, NSW)
Joseph Ratcliffe (Palmerston North Boys’ High School, Palmerston North)
Kahu Capper (Waverley College, Sydney, NSW)
Kairus Booth-Hill (South Otago High School, Balclutha)
Lucky Kali (St Paul’s College, Auckland)
Mason Lome-Hindle (Otago Boys’ High School, Dunedin)
Maui Winitana-Patelesio (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, Upper Hutt)
Meihana Pauling (St Thomas of Canterbury College, Christchurch)
Micah Sula (St Thomas of Canterbury College, Christchurch)
Militonimolela Sikuvea (St Peter’s College, Auckland)
Noah Jensen (Westlake Boys’ High School, Auckland)
Paea Junior (Christian) Sikuvea (De La Salle College, Auckland)
Rico Lemalie (Christ’s College, Christchurch)
Rico Toeava-Ward (De La Salle College, Auckland)
Romana Whitiora (Wharekura o Rakaumanga, Huntly; St Paul’s College, Auckland)
Taipari Wikitera (Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Maungarongo, Auckland)
Te Paeroa Wi Neera (Ngā Taiātea Wharekura, Hamilton)
Tepatasi Laumalii (De La Salle College, Auckland)
Turama Paranihi (Ngā Taiātea Wharekura, Hamilton)
Tyrone Hurt-Pickering (St Pauls College, Auckland)
Waka Tate (St Paul’s College, Auckland)
Unavailable due to injury: Lennox Tuiloma (St Thomas of Canterbury College, Christchurch)
Staff:
Head coach: Shannon Rushworth
Assistant coach: Jethro Friend
Assistant coach: Albert Vete
Assistant coach: Monty Betham
Team manager: Doug Murray