NRL Schoolgirls Cup rugby league Team of the Season revealed
Schoolgirl Cup rugby League Team of the Season: The NRLW’s next generation stars can be glimpsed in this Schoolgirl Cup Team celebrating the best of the best - and dozens of honourable mentions.
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Women’s rugby league is a raging success - but the fire is about to become an inferno when the current batch of Schoolgirls Cup players flood into clubs around the south east.
Here we announce a Team of the Season from an engrossing competition that culminated in the most appropriate way - a grand final which was decided with just seven seconds remaining (Ipswich SHS beat Marsden SHS).
WALTERS CUP TEAM OF THE SEASON
LANGER RESERVES TEAM OF THE SEASON
So here it is, the Schoolgirl Cup Team of the Season - plus dozens of honourable mentions for players who just missed selection.
TEAM OF THE SEASON
1. Torah Luadaka (Keebra Park SHS)
The athletic Luadaka is a league golden girl from the Gold Coast who had more moves on the field than you’d see on a Los Angeles dance club floor.
Equally at home at five-eight where she made our Harvey Norman under-17 girls team of the season from Tweed Seagulls, fullback Luadaka even has a goose step within her armoury.
Oh, and she can kick goals.
PLAYERS OF THE DAY FROM THE LANGER, WALTERS FINALS
PLAYERS OF THE DAY FROM THE BBOB, RENOUF AND HANCOCK FINALS
JUSTIN HODGES MEDAL AWARD WINNER
2. Angel Austin (Marsden SHS)
The tall Angel Austin is a highly skilled finisher with the pace of a sprinter.
Courageous in the air and willing to take tough runs coming out of her own end, Austin is also acutely aware of where the sideline is.
Austin rarely gets bundled into touch, regardless of the amount of room in which she has to move, hence her selection here on the wing.
3. Mercedez Taulelei-Siala (Ipswich SHS)
A Queensland under-19 State of Origin winger, Mercedez was also an elite centre who played halfback in Ipswich SHS’s dramatic premiership winning season.
Recently signed by the Newcastle Knights, she is a beautifully balanced runner whose versatility knows no bounds.
4. Deleni Patai (Marsden SHS)
Another 2024 Queensland schoolgirl representative, the power forward is another class act on the fringe.
She does not shy away from the tough stuff in defence either, but it is with the ball that she carries possession so hard and courageously at the defensive line.
She is named at centre because we had to try and squeeze the very best of 2024 into the team.
With playmakers like Enah Desic in the side, Patai was often sent steaming through a gap.
5. Emily Jackwitz (Ipswich SHS)
Tough as teak right wing Emily Jackwitz can score a try, but by heavens can’t she tackle.
In a grand final where you didn’t know what was coming next, Jackwitz would contribute with her blockbusting tackles that stopped Marsden SHS players in their tracks.
A girl with plenty of pace, she beat some white hot players into the side which is a huge compliment to her.
6. Shalom Sauaso (Ipswich SHS)
The dynamic Shalom Sauaso proved too big, too strong - and her footwork too compelling - in her premiership winning drive at the line which won the Schoolgirls Cup grand final with just seven seconds remaining.
For all her power and strength, she is light on her feet.
A high achiever all through the juniors, the Super W Reds rugby player will also be a NRLW heavyweight in the seasons ahead for the Brisbane Broncos.
7. Lili Lewis (Marsden SHS)
The best in the business, the Queensland schoolgirl halfback has uncanny vision and her execution is sublime.
She was probably the difference between Marsden SHS winning and losing the grand final because she was just the type to control the match when the Makas unsuccessfully attacked the Ipswich SHS line in search of the match sealing try inside the final 10 minutes.
13. Amanii Misa (Mabel Park SHS)
A powerhouse utility forward or playmaker, the athlete Misa is a rugby league show stopper.
No one puts anything over this Kingston-raised kid who cut her teeth on rugby league playing for the Waterford Demons.
A Broncos’ signing who represented City under-17s, Misa can play No. 13, prop or edge forward with ease.
In the halves this season she was at the peak of her powers but made the Australian Schoolgirls as a No.13.
12. Harlem Walker (Mabel Park SHS)
A classical modern day edge forward with plenty of run in her game, Walker also digs her shoulder in hard in defence.
She has been somewhat of a schoolgirl prodigy and the 2024 Queensland schoolgirl representative is living up to the hype as the seasons roll by.
She plays club league for the Dolphins after coming through the Aspley system and this year was all class for Mabel Park SHS.
11. Lishainah Ulugia (Ipswich SHS)
One of the most exciting young forwards rising through schoolgirl ranks, Ulugia is a powerhouse wide runner who causes damage when called upon in the middle third.
She has been recognised by the QRL and is a member of the Queensland under-17s Emerging squad.
Ulugia was also a 2022 Queensland under-15 schoolgirls merit team selection and finished her school career in style with premiership winners Ipswich SHS.
10. Eta Sikahele (Keebra Park SHS)
A Queensland Schoolgirls representative, Keebra Park SHS would not swap their forward leader for any other prop in the competition - and that is saying something given the quality number of middles in schoolgirl rugby league.
She was an absolute workhorse playing big minutes.
She deservedly signed a development contract for 2025 with the Titans NRLW following a bumper school season that saw her win the national title with Queensland.
9. Raewyn Olomalii (Marsden SHS)
The exhaustive Raewyn Olomalii gets stuck in like the best of them.
A member of the Queensland schoolgirls national championship winning side, Olomalii also earned selection in the Australian schoolgirls side that will travel to Papua New Guinea next month.
Olomalii just puts her head down and works until she can’t no more and her crisp passing, gutsy defence and ability to slot into first receiver was a big reason why the Makos were magnificent this season.
8. Alice Shannon (Mabel Park SHS)
The best in the business when it comes to making metres in the ruck, Shannon has been a giant in schoolgirl rugby league with her strength and ability to win the contact carrying the ball.
The Australian schoolgirls representative (2023,2024) is a tough kid who plays the hardest position on the field and deserves all honours which come her way.
Originally from New Zealand, Shannon added plenty of starch to Mabel Park SHS’s forward pack and she was at her most potent playing in spurts and catching defenders off guard with her power game.
14. Tiresa Leasuasu (Ipswich SHS)
Tiresa Leasuasu was an all in hooker who left nothing in the tank.
She gave Ipswich SHS plenty of run in the middle when she came on, but also loved making tackles.
Leasuasu was a grand final hero when she joined teammate Ariana Henderson in preventing Marsden hooker Desic from scoring what would have been the match winning try.
Before this, Leasuasu gave Ipswich SHS a point of difference in the No.14 jersey throughout the season with her uncanny ability to fend off defenders when scooting out of dummyhalf.
15. Zali Bettridge (Keebra Park SHS)
A halfback of the highest standard, Zali Bettridge was always going to be one of the first chosen in this squad.
Keebra Park SHS’s halfback and captain, she guided the side around superbly which was little surprise given the quality of her club season (Burleigh Bears Under-19s) that provided the foundation for her superb school campaign.
Bettridge was a South Coast schoolgirls under-18s representative and held her own on both sides of the ball.
16. Orianna Clark (Ipswich SHS)
Clark was an enormous presence in the Ipswich SHS pack who could play the power game, while having the athletic capacity to impact matches wider with her running or handling.
A big match player, the Queensland Schoolgirl was a dominant defender who played a huge part in Ipswich SHS’s premiership campaign doing the grunt work that at times goes unnoticed.
17. Armarni-Lea Auvae (Mabel Park SHS)
An Australian schoolgirl representative, Armarni-Lea Auvae joined Mabel Park from Redcliffe Dolphins territory - she is a Pine Central Holy Spirit Hornets junior - and impacted the competition from start to finish.
The former Murrumba State Secondary College student locked down the middle, but had the skills to play at No. 13 or second row.
She is noted for her outstanding one-on-one defence and with Alice Shannon by her side, there was no better prop duo going around this competition.
18. Nyeema Tuua (Mabel Park SHS)
Mabel Park SHS winger Nyeema Tuua battled injury in 2023, but made up for lost time with an outstanding season.
Her performance included a remarkable match winning effort against Keebra when she stole possession and scored in the final minute.
Earlier in the season she represented the Lloyd McDermott Rugby 7s team at the national championships on the Sunshine Coast.
Tuua is a member of the North Sydney Bears Lisa Fiola team and enhanced her reputation this season.
19. Evelyn Roberts (Marsden SHS)
Roberts was an eye-catching new face in the competition whose handling, vision and option taking with the ball would have been a joy to her outside backs.
Without her halves partner Lili Lewis she bravely tried to engineer Marsden SHS to an upset win in the grand final.
The powerful Roberts was also a defensive rock on the edge who had a sprinkle of x-factor about her in the halves.
20. Enah Desic (Marsden SHS)
The goal kicking hooker, Enah Desic was Marsden SHS’s halfback who could also slot into dummyhalf when Olomalii was elsewhere on the field.
She was a clever player who was always a play ahead. The City 17s representative gave clean service and made her tackles around the ruck and her high IQ, fearless defence, V8 engine and goalkicking played a huge part in Marsden SHS making it as far as they did.
Players we’d love most to have squeezed into the top squad
Mhia Taylor (Keebra park SHS)
Her appearance here is testimony to the quality of the top squad because she belongs alongside the best of the best in the competition.
Recently signed by the Sydney Roosters no less, the second rower was a consistent performer featuring strong running and strong defence.
Okalani Compton (Keebra Park)
Compton’s push for the Team of the Season inclusion had the edge taken off it because she was restricted to three matches.
Compton is one of the most feared defenders who does not care where she puts her head - she just tackles with courage and convention.
Aside from her strong defence, she proved herself to be one of the consistent dummyhalves in this competition and her bright headgear was always bobbing up.
Nikeisha Ngaru (Marsden SHS)
A pacy pocket rocket was desperately close to selection but lost out to her teammate, Angel Austin.
An Australian Schools Rugby 7s team selection, she had speed and evasive skills, but was also a strong defender which was evident when she saved a certain try in the grand final.
Earlier in the year she was a City-17s representative.
Aspen Nakao (St James)
A backline utility at home either in the halves of fullback, Nakao was the mastermind behind the St James attack.
From the Jimmies Brave & Bold Rugby Program, she is a Brisbane Broncos Academy inductee who played in New Zealand’s Pasifika Youth Cup.
In club football she has previously shone for Redcliffe in the Harvey Norman under-19s and was a leader on both sides of the ball for newcomers St James.
Sienna Smith (Keebra Park SHS)
Another dreadfully unlucky omission but we are delighted to give her a special mention on this short list.
She courageously played a majority of the season with a hand injury and was at times ill, but always gave her all.
She is a player of enormous potential who was named in the News Corp Harvey 17s Team of the Season in April.
Ella-Jaye Harrison-Leaunoa (Ipswich SHS)
A crafty No.6, she also bedded down the basics which was smart because she was surrounded by senior representative players Mercedez Taulelei-Siala at halfback and Shalom Sauaso (No. 13).
Harrison-Leaunoa plays with fire in her belly and is one to watch in the seasons ahead with her playmaking and defensive brutality strong points of her game.
Special Mentions
Memory Paitaii (Marsden SHS)
Ariana Henderson (Ipswich SHS)
Bernadeatte Papaniercedez (St James)
Janique Mili (Marsden SHS)
Ella O’Dea (Ipswich SHS)
Tina Gaw (St James)
Pauline Moliga (Ipswich SHS)
Kina Vainga (St James)
Saili Chan Kee (St James)
Porche John (Marsden)
Courage and team spirit award
India Tschuna, Humarie Puru (St James)
Tschuna and Puru showed remarkable courage to answer an SOS from their school coach, Anna Fotu, when numbers thinned for a round 3 match against Marsden SHS.
They had a crash course during a lunch training session, and hours later played the toughest contact sport in the world against Marsden SHS at Marsden.
It was a remarkable performance.
Best new faces award (Ipswich SHS)
Bailey Sorbello (Ipswich SHS)
An elite goal kicker, Sorbello was originally from Brisbane’s north western suburbs which has been a traditional hotbed of rugby league talent.
A handy goal kicker who plays club league for Norths, she was an accomplished centre who played with intensity - but could always find a smile.
Her defence was something else in the final when Ipswich SHS had a one women disadvantage.
Easter Taualai (Ipswich SHS)
The City-17s representative from the Norths club had a lovely mix to her game.
Esater Taualai could mix her power game with nice handling, could run as straight and as hard as any prop, or angle her runs either side of the ruck to link with her halves.
She made our Harvey Norman under-17 Team of the Season earlier in the year and maintained the rage for the premiers in the middle.
Rosa Lefono (Marsden SHS)
The cousin of Everlyn Roberts who made our reserves bench, Rosa Lefono joined Marsden SHS from New Zealand and made an instant impact in the competition as a centre.
Harmony Harris (St James)
A Redcliffe Dolphins club player, Harris was a wonderful forward leader who showed her teammates not to be intimidated by the well creditionalled opposition.
Best utility award
Layla Satui (Ipswich SHS)
Satui was a tremendous squad player who could swing between dummy half, centre and fullback.
Between herself and teammate Ariana Hendersion (highlighted earlier as a special mention player), Ipswich had all positions covered with class.
She was her team’s co-captain.
Unsung award
Rina Francis (Marsden SHS)
A captain courageous, she set the highest of standards on and off field and was a constant in the side as representative and injured players came and went.
The presence of players like her cannot be overstated.
The player we’d love to have seen more of award
Liarna Barber (Keebra Park SHS)
Barber injured her knee in the under-19 club competition at the start of the year but had she played Keebra Park SHS would have been a different team.
Barber, who has a development contract with the Titans NRLW, would have made a big impression in the middle had she played more.
She has Burleigh Bears BMD Premiership experience and with playmakers like Zali Bettridge and Torah Luadaka lurking, she would have been at the epicentre of Keebra Park’s attack.
Old School Workers award
Tusitina Fale, Mya Tronc, Dhanievah Lepua and Namoe Gesa (Marsden SHS)
Marsden SHS had a small scale pack but they were never out worked courtesy of the likes of Fale, Tronc, Lepua and Gesa (Marsden SHS).
Biggest Improvers award
Tina Gaw and Saili Chan Kee (both St James)
Originally published as NRL Schoolgirls Cup rugby league Team of the Season revealed
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