Penrith dominate New Zealand’s squad for the upcoming Pacific Championships, with four Panthers stars included in Stacey Jones’ 21-man squad.
In what was Jones’ first handful of games at the helm, the Kiwis endured a disappointing autumn campaign in 2024, losing both of their Pacific Cup group games to Australia and Tonga as they ended bottom of the pile.
Jones’ side avoided demotion though with victory over Pacific Bowl champions Papua New Guinea in the promotion/relegation play-off, beating the Kumuls 54-12.
As a result, they will again compete in the Pacific Cup this time around, with Samoa and Tonga their opponents while the Kangaroos are occupied playing in a three-Test Ashes Series against England.
The Kiwis will host Samoa in Auckland on October 19 before Tonga visit Eden Park on November 2.
With Samoa and Tonga squaring off against one another in Brisbane in-between those two games, the top two in the group will then vie for the title in Sydney on November 9.
Penrith Panthers quartet and Warriors trio named in Kiwis’ Pacific Championships squad
Jones’ 21-man squad for the upcoming campaign is entirely made up of players from the NRL, with Penrith’s four the most any one club has had included.
The Panthers see Moses Leota, Casey McLean, Isaiah Papali’i and Scott Sorensen named by the Kiwis after a year which saw them give up their crown Down Under courtesy of a semi-final defeat to eventual NRL champions Brisbane Broncos.
Elsewhere, Canberra Raiders trio Sebastian Kris, Joseph Tapine and Matthew Timoko are included alongside New Zealand Warriors trio Erin Clark, James Fisher-Harris and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
Newcastle Knights, Gold Coast Titans, the Dolphins and Cronulla Sharks all have two players apiece in the 21.
Meanwhile, Sydney Roosters’ one inclusion comes in the form of Naufahu Whyte, while beaten NRL Grand Finalists Melbourne Storm see Nelson Asofa-Solomona named.
After their first Grand Final triumph in 19 years, the Broncos’ sole representation comes through Xavier Willison.
New Zealand squad for 2025 Pacific Championships
1. Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Melbourne Storm)
2. Dylan Brown (Newcastle Knights)
3. Erin Clark (New Zealand Warriors)
4. Phoenix Crossland (Newcastle Knights)
5. James Fisher-Harris (New Zealand Warriors)
6. Kieran Foran (Gold Coast Titans)
7. Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins)
8. Keano Kini (Gold Coast Titans)
9. Sebastian Kris (Canberra Raiders)
10. Moses Leota (Penrith Panthers)
11. Jeremy Marshall-King (Dolphins)
12. Casey McLean (Penrith Panthers)
13. Ronaldo Mulitalo (Cronulla Sharks)
14. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (New Zealand Warriors)
15. Briton Nikora (Cronulla Sharks)
16. Isaiah Papali’i (Penrith Panthers)
17. Scott Sorensen (Penrith Panthers)
18. Joseph Tapine (Canberra Raiders)
19. Matthew Timoko (Canberra Raiders)
20. Naufahu Whyte (Sydney Roosters)
21. Xavier Willison (Brisbane Broncos)
