Te Atatu Roosters flyer Katelyn Vahaakolo was in the thick of the action on Test debut as the Kiwi Ferns defeated Fetu Samoa at Mt Smart Stadium in November 2020.
A prominent social media influencer in the health and lifestyle sphere and also a talented netballer, Vahaakolo was named on the flank to take on Samoa and threw the last pass for retiring Kiwi Ferns legend’s Honey Hireme-Smiler’s ninth-minute try.
Vahaakolo backed up a break from fellow debutant Autumn Stephens-Daly to blaze away for a try of her own in the opening minute of the second half.
The young winger’s campaign for Akarana Falcons in the inaugural Sky Sports NZRL National Women’s Premiership included a stunning 80-metre solo try against Mid Central, contributing to her call-up to the New Zealand squad.
Vahaakolo represented Māori All Stars against Indigenous All Stars in early-2022 before playing all five games of Newcastle Knights’ inaugural NRLW campaign.
Returning to Auckland, the 22-year-old scored two tries in the Kiwi Ferns’ 50-12 victory over Mate Ma’a Tonga and featured at fullback in Point Chevalier Pirates’ 2022 Auckland grand final loss, before setting off for England as part of New Zealand’s World Cup squad.
Vahaakolo bagged another double in the Kiwi Ferns’ opening pool win over France and was on the wing for the group-stage thriller against Australia and semi-final win over England but missed the final.
