Captain Apii Nicholls will lead a squad of 16 players making their club debuts when the One New Zealand Warriors women return to the NRLW against the Roosters at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday (11.50am kick-off local time; 1.50pm NZT).
The 32-year-old Nicholls is the only player in the 2025 squad who has previously played for the club.
As a member of the Warriors’ team in the competition’s foundation season in 2018 she appeared in each of the club’s six games in the first two years before later linking up with the Gold Coast Titans and then the Canberra Raiders.
With 28 NRLW games and 16 Tests for the Kiwi Ferns, Nicholls has the most rugby league experience in a lineup featuring a mix of fellow NRLW players, others who have switched from rugby union including Black Ferns internationals and rugby league players from local competitions in New Zealand and Australia.
Match: Roosters v Warriors
Round 1 -
home Team
Roosters
away Team
Warriors
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Roosters is number 1 Brydie ParkerFullback for Warriors is number 1 Apii Nicholls
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Winger for Roosters is number 2 Taina NaividiWinger for Warriors is number 2 Michaela Brake
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Centre for Roosters is number 3 Jessica SergisCentre for Warriors is number 3 Tysha Ikenasio
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Centre for Roosters is number 4 Isabelle KellyCentre for Warriors is number 4 Emmanita Paki
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Winger for Roosters is number 5 Jayme FressardWinger for Warriors is number 5 Payton Takimoana
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Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Corban BaxterFive-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Patricia Maliepo
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Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Jocelyn KelleherHalfback for Warriors is number 7 Emily Curtain
Forwards
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Prop for Roosters is number 8 Otesa PuleProp for Warriors is number 8 Harata Butler
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Hooker for Roosters is number 9 Keeley DavisHooker for Warriors is number 9 Capri Paekau
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Prop for Roosters is number 10 Rima ButlerProp for Warriors is number 10 Lavinia Kitai
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Mia Wood2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Shakira Baker
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Jasmin Strange2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Kaiyah Atai
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Lock for Roosters is number 13 Olivia KernickLock for Warriors is number 13 Laishon Albert-Jones
Interchange
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Interchange for Roosters is number 14 Shawden BurtonInterchange for Warriors is number 14 Lydia Turua-Quedley
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Interchange for Roosters is number 15 Macie CarlileInterchange for Warriors is number 15 Maarire Puketapu
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Interchange for Roosters is number 16 Aliyah NasioInterchange for Warriors is number 16 Ashlee Matapo
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Interchange for Roosters is number 17 Taneisha GrayInterchange for Warriors is number 17 Matekino Gray
Reserves
-
Replacement for Roosters is number 18 Jayde HerdegenReplacement for Warriors is number 18 Makayla Eli
Match Officials
- Senior Review Official: Todd Smith
Last updated:
“We’re very excited,” said One New Zealand Warriors head coach Ron Griffiths.
“We have a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and a diverse group of players with 75 per cent of them not playing NRLW in the past 12 months.
“From our perspective we’re really looking forward to going up against a side like the Roosters to get a yardstick of where we’re at.
“We’re confident we’ll be a team that certainly has lots of fun with the football and defensively we’re going to work very hard for each other.”
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Griffiths: Defensively we'll work hard for each other
Nicholls aside the other players with NRLW backgrounds in the round one side are ex-Knights centre-winger Emmanita Paki, halfback Emily Curtain (Eels and Tigers), prop Harata Butler (Sharks and Cowboys), hooker Capri Paekau (Eels), back rower Laishon Albert-Jones (Knights) and interchange forward Matekino Gray (Titans).
It leaves 10 players who are set to make their NRLW debuts including Black Ferns Sevens superstar Michaela Blake and fellow Black Ferns Tysha Ikenasio, Patricia Maliepo and Shakira Baker.
Among the other NRLW debutantes is 18-year-old prop Ashlee Matapo. With a dual rugby union-rugby league background she was signed on a development contract but has been brought into the playing squad due to the unavailability of five top 24 players.
Ex-Knights forward Felila Kia is sidelined with a calf injury, winger Lavinia Tauhalaliku (Cowboys) is out with a shoulder injury and front rower Mya Hill-Moana wasn’t considered after giving birth to her son in April. Also on the injured list is Kalyn Takitimu-Cook (hamstring) while forward Metanoia Fotu-Moala is unavailable this week due to her wedding.
In their first three seasons in the competition in 2018, 2019 and 2020 the Warriors used a total of 50 players in what was then a four-team competition.
Their return match against the 2024 premiership-winning Roosters reprises their very first game in 2018. On that occasion the Warriors weren’t expected to win but stunned the highly-fancied Roosters 10-4.