A late-comer to rugby league, Taupō-born half Ashleigh Quinlan was drafted into the Kiwi Ferns’ squad for the 2023 Pacific Championships at the age of 28.
A Touch Football World Cup winner for Australia who came through Dundas Shamrocks’ rugby league ranks in Sydney, Quinlan helped Parramatta Eels to the 2022 NRLW grand final, a loss to Newcastle Knights.
Quinlan represented New Zealand Māori Ferns against Indigenous All Stars in the 2023 pre-season and switched to join the fledgling Canberra Raiders for their inaugural NRLW campaign, playing all nine games in the halves alongside Zahara Temara.
She made her Test debut at five-eighth in a loss to Australia in Townsville, before coming off the bench impressively in the Kiwi Ferns’ monumental 12-6 defeat of the Jillaroos in Melbourne.
Quinlan played for Māori Ferns again in 2024 before appearing in eight games for the Raiders, subsequently retaining her place in the New Zealand squad for the Pacific Championships. Displaying her versatility, Quinlan wore the No.14 in all three Tests, shining at dummy-half against Australia and scoring a try against Papua New Guinea after coming on in the back-row.
