Pātea Warriors Rugby League Club’s wāhine side hope for dream end to debut season

The Pātea Warriors wāhine rugby league team are unbeaten in their debut season.

The Pātea Warriors Rugby League Club Women’s team are set for their first-ever Grand Final in their unbeaten debut season, facing the Waitara Bears.

They will play at the Pātea Area School grounds on Saturday, March 29, in hopes of claiming their first title.

The side play in the href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/taranaki/">Taranaki Rugby League Women’s Premier competition against Waitara Bears and Bell Block Marist in a six-week competition, playing both teams twice.

Teams representing Hāwera and Coastal had to withdraw because of numbers before the season kicked off.

The Pātea Premier Women’s team formed in 2024 before the season and has attracted wāhine from Whanganui, Waverley and Pātea.

Assistant coach Neville Hinga estimated about 23 women played for the side, which demonstrated the area’s enthusiasm for the sport.

“The girls have done extremely well considering the majority of the girls are rugby [union] players and newcomers so it’s been beneficial for them to enhance their game,” Hinga said.

“We wanted to ensure that we promote women’s sports by getting a rugby league team.”

Pātea Warriors went unbeaten this season, including a narrow 20-14 win over Waitara in the last game, earning them a home final.

Hinga, with coaches Darren Pullen and Kayne Kahui, set their team a goal before the season started to enjoy themselves, play good, consistent rugby league and represent wāhine in sport.

The same message will be delivered as they take the field on Saturday.

“A lot of them are quite sore and there were a few injuries in that last game but, at the end of the day, if they really want it, they should take it out,” he said.

“This is more than just a game for our women; this is a celebration of resilience, teamwork and the indomitable spirit of our wāhine.”

The Grand Final kicks off at 12pm on Saturday at Pātea Area School.