Trans-Tasman takeover: How Kiwi stars can flip North Queensland Cowboys’ NRLW fortunes
Cowboys recruit Rosie Kelly is one of four New Zealand players with international experience joining Kiwi Ferns coach Ricky Henry in North Queensland for the 2025 NRLW season. Find out how the Cowboys landed the code-hopping star.
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Cowboys recruit Rosie Kelly is one of four New Zealand players with international experience joining Kiwi Ferns coach Ricky Henry in North Queensland for the 2025 NRLW season.
New Zealand’s Kelly, Abigail Roache, Najvada George and Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell all joined the Cowboys over the off-season to link up with Henry and help the club reach its maiden NRLW finals campaign.
While the latter three have all spent time with the Kiwi Ferns, Kelly brings experience with the Black Ferns – New Zealand’s national rugby union side.
The Chiefs Manawa playmaker – who played nine NRLW games for Parramatta last year at centre – is at peak fitness after coming straight from a Super Rugby Aupiki season, and she said she had enjoyed working under Henry so far.
“I’ve loved him, it’s really cool to be coached by a New Zealander. He really understands us,” Kelly said.
“He puts a lot of pressure on us and wants what’s best for us so it’s cool to be challenged in that sort of way.
“I think we’ve naturally all come together and hung out a little bit outside of training, it’s sort of that little piece of home because Townsville’s quite far from home.”
Kelly said that the opportunity to stake her claim for a position in the halves was ultimately what attracted her to North Queensland.
“I think that’s probably where what suits my best skill sets, so I’m excited for that challenge,” she said.
“Lots of people say that it’s similar but I’d say the games are actually completely different. For me, the contact area and then learning, in the halves, learning the plays and everything.
“I think having union as a background gives you something different, it sets you apart – usually your skill set and things are really drilled into you from union.
“We do lots of catch-pass on attack, drawing and passing, and that gets drilled into us – passing every day.”
Kelly said she was loving Townsville so far, and that she had been especially impressed with utility back Krystal Blackwell, using the Māori word for work – mahi – to describe the tenacious 22-year-old.
“KB, Krytsal (Blackwell), she’s just a mahi-dog, she works really hard on and off the pitch,” Kelly said.
“She sets the standards off the pitch but then is working really hard on it.
“I love it (in Townsville), I enjoy the heat. I love being outside tanning and all that sort of thing – probably just the animals freak me out, but it’s cool.”
The Cowboys’ NRLW season kicks off at home on Saturday, July 5, when the Titans come to town. The match will be played as a double-header before the NRL side takes on the Melbourne Storm.
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Originally published as Trans-Tasman takeover: How Kiwi stars can flip North Queensland Cowboys’ NRLW fortunes
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