CSB - Ricky Henry - Kiwi Ferns coach

Broncos superstar Gayle Broughton is among four debutants named in Kiwi Ferns squad for the Pacific Championships against Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Broughton, a New Zealand Olympic gold medallist at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, will pull on the Kiwi Ferns jersey for the first time alongside Raiders centre Mackenzie Wiki, Dragons lock Alexis Tauaneai and Wests Tigers forward Brooke Talataina.

Wiki is the daughter of NRL Hall of Famer Ruben Wiki, who is one of just two Kiwis to have played more than 50 Tests, along with Adam Blair.

The Kiwi Ferns will be captained by IRL Golden Boot winner, Georgia Hale, who made her Test debut in 2014 and has been a mainstay for the team since.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Rugby league on the country sport breakfast with pet Stop
your car service doctor using the latest technology. Well, it
was a big day for rugby league in New Zealand yesterday,
Kiewi Fern's head coach Ricky Henry naming his squad and
four uncapped players set to make their mark on the Ferns.
He joins us in our studio live this morning morning,

(00:20):
Ricky morning. How difficult was it to name the squad?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, really difficult. We've got some great players that are
playing in ROLW, so you know, we had a aper
players sort of look at and look through and finally
come up with a pretty good squad that we think
will get the job done.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
What's the state of the women's game? I mean here
in New Zealand and I guess in Australia because you're
based out of Queensland, don't you.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah. Yeah, I'm up at Towns for their coach in
the NROLW team there. So yeah, I think from you know,
from the woman's perspective and where the game's gone and
what's happening. There's a lot of pathways for women to
transition into full time or at the moment, part time

(01:04):
employment as a professional rugby league player. So some exciting
times ahead.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Let's talk about some of the young capped players that
you've selected, including a former daughter of a former key
wei in r else Ruben Wiki.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, we've got McKenzie Wiki who plays for the Camber
Raiders and this year she's done an awesome job, very
powerful and very similar to dad, I guess, And yeah,
she loves contact and is really aggressive and has had
a fantastic year with the Camber Raiders here and you know,
put her best foot forward and she's been in our

(01:40):
on our radar for a couple of years now and
I'm just really pleased and proud that she gets an
opportunity to represent her country. So yeah, some exciting times in.
I know Rubes is really proud of you as well.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
Yeah, I Betty is a proud dad. And the other
one was former Black ferns and sevens player and Tokyo
Olympic gold midlist Gail Browton. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Gale's obviously from Taranaki there and she started out at
the ParaMed Eel was a couple of years ago and
played a Grand Final her first year at rugby league
and then the last couple of years has been at
the Brisbane Broncos and there's a bit of a mainstay
there and learning the game really well. And again she's
another one that's put her best foot forward and some

(02:21):
place about standing fort he there. So yeah, again really
excited to have her on board. And it's taken a
couple of years to put her in the black jersey.
She's had an injury or has to pull out due
to personal reasons, so yeah, it really stoked for Gaale.
But also we've got Alexus Toine and I and also
Broke Talot you know she she's really good as well.

(02:43):
So those two ladies have been outstanding for the both
the Tigers and the Dragons. So young young players coming
through and probably the future of our Qui Fenn squad and.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
If you've got a quite a bit of experience in
the team as well, yeah we have.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
We've got obviously Racey McGregor has had to pull out
due to personal reasons, but Georgia Hales in her tenth
year with the Kiwi Ferns and again the mainstay for
us and someone that we really respect as a as
a player, but also does some wonderful stuff off the field,
with a lot of our young players and I know
that we're looking looking forward to connecting with her and

(03:21):
I know she'll get us around the field and play
a major part. And how we really go this year
against the Jelus and the P ANDG team they're.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Talking about the Jela Ruse. The Kiwi Ferns actually beat
the Jill Rouse in the final round, didn't they? Was
it last year?

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, we had a narrow game the first one and
then we beat them down in Melbourne. There so some
really exciting times for us and it's been the first
time in seven years that we've been able to get
a victory out of them, and really proud moment for
me as a coach. And I know a lot of
the players were very emotional after the game and that

(03:55):
was because they hadn't tasted victory against the Jailers. So yeah,
look we can go into this yere year's pick Champ
says with a bit of confidence, I suppose, And you
know we've stort to play well. They've put a really
good team together it as well the Generals and can't
wait to get in there and have a kricking.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
What we're noticing here in New Zealand is a lot
of players and in the league are now coming from
from rugby itself, from rugby sevens and from rugby. Why
do you think that is?

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Oh, I guess for a lot of the sevens players
are sort of contracted partial year, so there's obviously a
fuller which is joining in our ow season that they
can obviously make make some make some money and play
a sport where they get to try try different things.
And you know, for for rugby league, you know, it's

(04:46):
a game that's played at high pace in the competition
as professional at the moment, and there's a lot of
airtime on TV and that sort of thing, and there's
a massive following at the moment in Australian New Zealand
in url W and just what the competition's doing for
our woman and that's just exciting for them to be
part of the part of that movement. I guess in

(05:08):
a couple of years time, I'm sort of picking the game,
we'll go to a full season and full time professionalism.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
So Ricky, when do you get the squad together and
start series training? Now?

Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, we get together not the Sunday, the following Sunday
and we're down in Cross shreets. So first time in
twenty five years that we've played down there and looking
forward to obviously having a big crowd there. But that
team will come and we'll be in camped for a
week obviously get our training done and then play the
jituaries the following the following Sunday.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
Fantastic. Well, we wish you all the very very best
of luck. I think it's a very exciting squad, Ricky,
So thanks for joining us.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
No problems, thank you, absolute pleasure.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
So there we go, Ricky Henry Kivy, Fern's head coach,
live in the Gold Sports studio this morning here on
the Country Sport Breakfast