A group of current and recent secondary school girl football players recently played an inaugural match for the New Zealand Maori Women’s team against the indigenous Australian representative side.
The result was a resounding 5-0 win for the women’s Maori team, while their men’s counterparts also won their corresponding fixture 3-2.
Both games in Auckland on Saturday started with Maori players performing a haka which they had developed during their training camp; while the indigenous Australians responded with a traditional corroboree dance.
Videos of these are online here:
NZ Women- https://www.facebook.com/jlsphotographs/videos/1593418394026559/
NZ Men- https://www.facebook.com/jlsphotographs/videos/1593421607359571/
Australia- https://www.facebook.com/jlsphotographs/videos/1593424357359296/
New Zealand Maori Women’s team featured a group of players returning to school in 2018, with several more 2017 school leavers. The oldest player in the team was 24,while Grace Jale, Brooke Wylie, Steph Trowill, Shae Brady and Samatha Tawharu are all former NZSS football representative players.
Brooke Wylie and Ella Golding were the team’s co-captains.
NZ Maori Women’s side (Current or recent school listed)
Brooke Wylie – Saint Kentigern College
Meripa Seumentafa – Rosehill College
Samantha Tawharu – Mount Albert Grammar School
Grace Jale – Mount Albert Grammar School
Ella Golding – Mount Maunganui College
Macy Brady – Trident High School
Taelor Pickering-Parker- Western Heights High School
Shae Brady- Trident High School
Amy McQuoid- Rangitoto College
Samantha Butler- Rosehill College
Georgia Butler- Rosehill College
Jayden Watts- Waiuku College
Tatjana Timmins-Scanlon- Waiheke High School
Sam Waru- Waitakere College
Rosa Muru- Mount Albert Grammar School
Kalani Walters-Hewson- Kaitaia Abundant Life School
Steph Trowill- Botany Downs Secondary College
Catherine Clark- Marist College
Elizabeth Takerei- St Mary’s College
Tara Jackson – Kerikeri High School
Story courtesy of College Sport Media and can also be viewed here
Photo courtesy JLS Photographs