Katelyn Vaha'akolo
Katelyn Vaha'akolo (born 18 April 2000) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer. Her position is wing. She previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL Women's Premiership.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 18 April 2000 Aotearoa, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 72 kg (11 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 14 November 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
Born in New Zealand, Vaha'akolo is of Māori and Tongan descent.[2] She is the younger sister of Freedom Vahaakolo who played for the Highlanders in Super Rugby.[2]
Playing career
Early years
In 2020, Vaha'akolo played for the Te Atatu Roosters and Akarana Falcons.[3][4] In November 2020, she represented the Kiwi Ferns.[5] In April 2021, she played for the Moana Pasifika rugby union side in the Takiwhitu Tūturu rugby sevens competition.[6] In December 2021, she signed with the Newcastle Knights to be a part of their inaugural NRLW squad.[7]
2022
In February, Vaha'akolo played for the Māori All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars.[8] In Round 1 of the delayed 2021 NRL Women's season, she made her NRLW debut for the Knights against the Parramatta Eels.[9] She played in 5 matches for the Knights, scoring one try, before parting ways with the club at the end of the season.[10]
In October, she was selected for the New Zealand squad at the delayed 2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup in England.[11] It was announced in November that she would be joining the Blues Women for the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season.[12][13]
References
- "Katelyn Vaha'akolo - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- "Katelyn Vaha'akolo: the rugby league star with a voice for change". RNZ. 12 April 2021.
- "Katelyn Vaha'akolo".
- League, Asia Pacific Rugby (6 October 2020). "Akarana Falcons put on clinical performance against Mid-Central Vipers".
- France, Marvin (7 November 2020). "Autumn Stephens-Daly stars on debut as Kiwi Ferns celebrate milestone in style". Stuff.
- "Moana Pasifika women make rugby history". RNZ. 9 April 2021.
- "Knights finalise NRLW squad with signings of Queensland-based players". Newcastle Knights. 3 December 2021.
- "Maori v Indigenous All Stars: Both sides 1-18 with no late changes". National Rugby League. 12 February 2022.
- "Late mail: 1-17 confirmed for opening NRLW game". Newcastle Knights. 27 February 2022.
- "Custom Match List - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- Priest, Craig (2 October 2022). "Kiwi Ferns name 24-strong World Cup squad". New Zealand Rugby League. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- Hinton, Marc (15 November 2022). "Blues women sign Kiwi Ferns World Cup star Katelyn Vaha'akolo for Super Rugby Aupiki". Stuff. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- "CROSS-CODE STAR VAHA'AKOLO JOINS nib BLUES WOMEN". Blues Rugby. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.