chibet CricketNRL 2025: Magic Round, Samantha Trehere, WA, Combined Affiliated States; Wallaroos star out to shine at NRLW Rising Talent Invitational

Author: Taryn Heddo & Brad Walter
Timestamp: Wed 30 Jul 2025, 11:33 AM

Wallaroos star Samantha Treherne is hoping to earn an NRLW contract after being selected for the Harvey Norman Rising Talent Invitational ahead of this weekend's inaugural NRLW Magic Round in Newcastle.

Treherne, who has been described as "Australia's most versatile rugby union star", is one of eight players chosen from June's Combined Affiliated States Championships to attend the talent ID event.

The Victorian-born, WA-based speedster has played 14 internationals for the Wallaroos, including the 2017 Rugby World Cup, and represented Australia in rugby sevens.

Samantha Treherne in action for Australia against the Black Ferns. ©Photosport NZ

The 32-year-old fullback or winger has also played Super W for the Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels before this year joining the Western Force.

She plays league for Perth's Ellenbrook Rabbitohs and was a standout at June's CAS Championships in Melbourne, scoring two hat-tricks as Western Australia claimed the women's title by beating Victoria 20-4 in the final.

SPECTACULAR from the 💥

Samantha Treherne down the short side 🤩
— Play Rugby (@playrugbyau)

The players from the affiliated states will join others chosen from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and First Nations Gems who have demonstrated strong potential to compete at the elite level.

The others are Georgina Hemopo, Jade Te Aute, Rebecca Nelio (Victoria), Kailey Thompson, Zion Taurima, Kateraina Horner (Western Australia) and Jacinda Summers (Northern Territory).

The 2025 CAS Championships, held in June, were the first in several years to included women’s teams thanks to the exponential growth of the women's game.

It is where the greatest opportunities are being felt away from the traditional rugby league heartlands, with the likes of Cowboys forward Najvada George having risen through the ranks in Victoria to establish themselves as NRLW players.

WA flyer Sam Treherne was among eight players chosen from the 2025 CAS Championships for a shot at an NRLW contract. ©NRL Victoria

George, a Kiwi Ferns international, honed her skills at the Werribee Bears and was part of the CAS system in 2018.

“The women's game is, and has been for the last few years, the fastest growing area of the game across all states and territories, and across the Pacific now as well,” explained NRL Pathways Project Manager Mike Castle.

“That is partly because of the success of the Jillaroos and the NRLW. Girls across the country know that if you're ambitious and willing to put the work in and turn up, and you’re a talented athlete, the NRLW is within reach.

“We've seen a lot of girls progress through the affiliate states and the Pacific, and are now playing NRLW. This refined pathway that we've established will hopefully allow more of them to realise their dreams and their potential.”

Storm Female Pathways Manager Pauline Poloai was part of identifying female talent at the CAS Championships for the Harvey Norman Rising Talent Invitational in Newcastle on Friday and Saturday.

Victoria reached the final of the 2025 CAS Championships at Seabrook Reserve. ©NRL Victoria

“Tournaments like this goes to show that anyone who's aspirational and keen to play, whether it be in the Melbourne Storm jersey or rugby league in general, that there's a genuine pathway,” Poloai explained.

“There is a genuine pathway for all those other states that don't have a NRL club attached to it yet.”

Not only were the CAS players incentivised to play for their state, their families and each other, they were also fighting for a place in the Harvey Norman Rising Talent Invitational.

The NRLW hopefuls will be divided into four teams, competing in a round-robin style tournament on Friday and Saturday, leading into Magic Round at McDonald Jones Stadium.

In addition, the players will undergo position-specific skill assessments on Friday, with coaches and recruitment staff from the 12 NRLW clubs in attendance. Impress, and they could be in line for an NRLW contract.

“These girls don't get to play rugby league all year round, like New South Wales, and obviously they don't get seen as much as New South Wales and Queensland,” Poloai said.

“It’s going to be an opportunity for these guys to showcase their talent to those two states.

Rugby league is alive in the affiliated states, and just because we’re not from those two major states, doesn’t mean we don’t have the opportunity to make it to the top.

“Coming in as an underdog is a great feeling, and, a great sense of pride, because you don't just do it for you or your family. You're doing it for other affiliated states players that don't get that opportunity.”

With the growth of the game nationally – including the recent announcement of the Perth Bears in the NRL – and the solidification of the pathways, Castle suggested that there is no better time to jump on board rugby league than now.

The victorious Western Australia team celebrate their 20-4 defeat of Victoria in the final of the 2025 CAS Championships. ©NRL Victoria

“There's 12 NRLW teams now, and every year that's going to expand. So more and more opportunities at the top of that will open up,” Castle said.

“The combined state championships, that's the opportunity for the Victorians and the athletes from other states.

“As the game grows, it's going to get more and more and more difficult, which is brilliant for the game - because the top end will get better and better.

“It is an exciting time to play rugby league across the country.”