After several months of lockdown followed by an NRL off-season, rugby league finally returns to CommBank Stadium this weekend for the first time since June last year.
One of the game’s showpiece events, the NRL All Stars fixture, will be played in Sydney, in particular Parramatta, for the first time ever this Saturday, February 12.
The 2022 NRL All Stars will feature the women’s and men’s Indigenous and Maori teams, along with the Indigenous and Maori touch football teams.
While surprisingly no Parramatta players were selected for the men’s game, a whopping five Eels NRLW players will run out for the Maori women and Indigenous women All Stars sides.
Parramatta fans will get a taste for what’s to come this NRLW season when Botille Vette-Welsh, Kennedy Cherrington, Nita Maynard and Jocephy Daniels team up in the Maori side, while Tommaya Kelly-Sines will be the lone Eels representative on the Indigenous women’s team.
The Maori women’s team will be aiming for back to back victories after pumping the Indigenous ladies last year 24-0 in Townsville.
Meanwhile, the men’s Indigenous and Maori teams will be equally as desperate for victory this year after their 2021 NRL All Stars clash ended in a 10-all draw.
While no Blue & Gold players will take the field on Saturday evening, the Maori team will once again be coached by Eels NRL assistant David Kidwell.
The 44-year-old former Parramatta player has named a strong line-up headlined by Panthers premiership winner James Fisher-Harris, Canberra’s Joe Tapine and Melbourne’s Kenny Bromwich.
“I’m so thankful to have a group of players who are honoured to represent their culture,” Kidwell said.
“This is such an important week for the game and our players recognise this. They will all do what they can to represent themselves, their whanau (family) and their iwi (tribe).”
Tickets, which start at $25 for adults and $75 for families, are selling fast.
To purchase, visit tickets.nrl.com.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.