Wests Tigers duo Namoe Gesa and Vasaliva Feleti have been named in the Tongan Women’s XIII squad for next Saturday’s test match against the Cook Islands.
The pair will join a Tonga side featuring Wests Tigers Head of Female Pathways, Dave Fauonuku as Assistant Coach.
Tonga will face the Cook Islands at 4.00pm AEST on Saturday, October 10, at St Mary’s Stadium in Sydney.
Gesa’s selection follows a strong debut campaign in the NRLW where she averaged 87 run metres and amassed 12 tackle breaks across eight games.
The 2026 Wests Tigers NRLW Rookie of the Year also finished the season with two tries to her name, crossing the stripe in Rounds 5 and 7 against the Sharks and the Warriors.
A natural athlete, Feleti has been named in the Tongan squad after her first season in the NSW Women’s Premiership.
Injuries limited the outside back to four appearances this season, but she nonetheless showcased her skill and versatility at centre and wing.
The teenager is proud to represent her home country again after first arriving in Australia in 2024 on tour with a Tongan age-group team.
Wests Tigers NRLW Head Coach Craig Sandercock says the call-up will boost their personal and professional development.
“It’s a great opportunity for those two to go into that rep camp environment,” Sandercock said.
“Tonga has a proud history and culture. It will be good for them to embrace that, and hopefully they can take a lot of what they’ve learned at the NRLW level and apply it.”
With the Tigers coming off the back of a fierce 2026 campaign, Sandercock says that members of the squad catching the attention of representative selectors is to be expected.
"It’s no secret that the better your team performs, the more players from your team play rep footy," Sandercock added.
“We finished fourth this season, so we deserve to have players playing rep footy.
“Hopefully, a couple of our girls will make the other teams as well.”
