Concussion delays Black Ferns great Stacey Waaka’s Warriors debut in NRLW

Saturday, 4 July 2026

Double Olympic gold medallist and Rugby World Cup winner Stacey Waaka will watch the Warriors' 2026 NRLW season opener from the sidelines this Sunday.

The 30-year-old cross-code star is raring to go but must wait for her club debut as she recovers from a concussion suffered playing for the Black Ferns Sevens last month.

Despite being new to the squad and recovering from a broken leg sustained during a brief NRLW stint with the Broncos in 2024, Waaka is already using her decade of high-performance experience to mentor the team's non-professional players.

The Warriors open their campaign against the Bulldogs in Hamilton, with coach Ron Griffiths confident the squad's added experience can push them all the way to the final day after narrowly missing the finals last season.

As the Warriors kick off their 2026 NRLW season this Sunday, there will be one player with itchy feet on the sidelines.

Two time Olympic gold medallist and two time Rugby World Cup winner Stacey Waaka has joined the Warriors this season, but won’t take the field just yet. Waaka only joined the team two weeks ago, and due to recovery from a concussion suffered playing for the Black Ferns Sevens last month, she’ll have to wait to run out there - which she’s desperate to do.

“I am, but I’m also being real positive and patient, because I haven’t been here for that long,” the 30-year-old says.

“I just want to soak in as much as I can, be amongst the girls, see them warm up, see them go out and make some massive hits this weekend. I’m raring to go and I know there’s so many people coming which is really exciting.”

Head coach Ron Griffiths says they’ll be playing Waaka “as soon as we can.

“We’ve got to be comfortable that she can fit into the rhythm of how we play.”

The Warriors get their season underway on Sunday afternoon in Hamilton against the Bulldogs.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a year now, since announcing my signing and to be here amongst the girls, it’s fun, it’s different, it’s extremely out of my comfort zone, but I’m loving the challenge so far,” says Waaka, who had a short stint in the NRLW two years ago.

Waaka signed for the Brisbane Broncos in 2024, and played six games before breaking her leg and being sidelined. She scored six tries and despite her season being cut short, she was still named in the team of the year, the dream team and the Broncos’ rookie of the year.

Despite being new to the Warriors environment, Waaka’s experience over a decade of high performance rugby has meant she’s become a go-to player for newbies in the team.

Most of the players in the Warriors aren’t professional league players, and arrive at training after work or study, so Waaka’s experience playing sevens and 15s gives her a unique perspective to both be a leader, and also to learn.

“Some of them know that I played a couple of years ago, and they’re always asking what it feels like from that environment into this team,” Waaka explains.

“I’ve been in many teams, and it’s really cool because I’ve always learnt something new each time. So for them to be able to come here, ask me and not be afraid and we can collab and share and feed off each other’s knowledge, I love it.”

Waaka and Griffiths joke that they got off to a rocky start, Waaka wearing a Maroons jersey to Griffiths’ house, and the Blues supporter telling her to get out.

“He’s got some good banter,” Waaka laughs.

“Ron’s cool, he’s super honest and super knowledgeable and he’s great at his job. And for me, it’s just about taking my time, I know he doesn’t want to chuck me in the deep end straight away, which I respect.

But when my time does come, I know I’ll be ready because he’s preparing me the best he can.”

Last season, the Warriors won four of their 11 games, but had some narrow losses, and were only three points away from advancing to the finals series. This season, Griffiths believes they have the potential for more.

“I’m feeling confident that we’ve got some more experience in terms of - we know in the middle of a game, when it really bites, those players will be able to get us through it,” he says.

“What I am excited about is those experienced players being able to really get us through those moments that are testing this weekend, and moving forward for the rest of the year.”

Waaka is ready to start playing, and show the team’s skills out on the field.

“We’ve analysed, reviewed everything that happened then but focusing more so on ourselves, not worrying too much about the bigger picture, not worrying about the outcome. And Ron’s quite big on that, focus on the process, on each training, on each moment you get out there on the field,” she says.

“I love Ron’s thinking in terms of playing wide, he loves when he sees space, it’s go and play what you see and I’m all about that, because it’s what you do in sevens. I’m raring to go.”

Confidence within the coaching staff is high for the team to improve on last year’s placing, and even to finish at the top.

“I believe that if we keep progressing and developing, there’s no reason that we can’t be there on the final day,” Griffiths says.

“I think first and foremost, the most important thing that we want to tick off is every time that we walk off that ground, we want to leave a performance out there that each player is proud of, our community and our supporters and club are proud of, that’s the most important thing.

“If we do that and leave it all out there each week, there’s no reason if we don’t keep evolving and developing and working hard, that we can’t be there on the final day.”

They’ll be inspired by the men’s side sitting second on the NRL ladder, Griffiths saying his side brings the same passion and energy to the Warriors jersey.

“I think forever and a day, a Warriors outfit, whether it’s NRL or NRLW will remain the same - they’re tough, physical, powerful, they play for their country, they play for their people and they play with pride.”