Follow the action as the Warriors host the Bulldogs in the first round of the NRLW season. Stacey Waaka boosts Warriors ahead of season opener in Hamilton by Samuel SherryWith two Rugby World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals and multiple titles with the Black Ferns Sevens under her belt, Stacey Waaka brings experience and leadership to a Warriors team looking to win it all this season.This isn’t the 30-year-old’s first venture into rugby league, having played for the Brisbane Broncos during the 2024 NRLW season, where she scored six tries in six games.That time around, her season ended with a broken leg, and this time she enters the season recovering from a concussion suffered during the Black Ferns Sevens’ last tournament of the season in Bordeaux at the start of June.“Still coming back from that concussion, but I’ve been fully training with the girls, which is awesome,” Waaka said.“I feel like I’m actually in it, and I’m like, ‘yay, good to be here.’ “And I know the season’s only short, but I also know it’s going to go fast.”Stacey Waaka has switched from rugby sevens to league and will play in the NRLW for the Warriors. Photo / PhotosportShe’s been named as a reserve for this weekend’s opening fixture against the Bulldogs in Hamilton, but is happy to take her time in working her way into the team.“I’m also being real positive and patient, because I haven’t been here for that long, so 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 ready to go.”Waaka explained how she’s trying to help those who are new to the team, but also learn from those with more experience than her. “To be amongst so many different levels of experience, teaching people what I’ve learned from my professional experiences in the past, and then learning what they’re learning too on the go,” she said.“There’s still some experienced heads here, and I love picking their brains. I love learning what they’re learning, and it’s just really cool to be amongst some stars of the game, and some new ones coming through.”The Warriors’ gain could be New Zealand Rugby’s loss, with Black Ferns Sevens captain Risi Pouri-Lane explaining before the Bordeaux tournament how important Waaka was to the team.“She will definitely be missed, and I guess I have no doubt that it won’t be the end for her,” Pouri-Lane said.“I know that she’ll add so much value to the Warriors, and so I’m excited for that journey for her.“Obviously it’ll be hard for us to not have her around, but I’m sure that she’ll just take a lot of knowledge and a lot of value to the Warriors campaign, and hopefully it’s not the last time she is in the black jersey.“But for the time that she’s over there, I just hope that she adds so much value and impact to the environment. We will miss how loud she is; we’ll miss how we can hear her from another side of the room without seeing her, but especially her leadership.“She’s such an awesome leader in the way that she drives standards and the way that she upholds what it means to be a professional sportsperson and what it means for us to wear the black jersey.”The Warriors kick off their NRLW season at 3.45pm on July 5 against the Bulldogs in Hamilton.