Player Apii Nicholls

[mt.wellington]

Apii Nicholls

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Apii Nicholls-Pualau (born 26 February 1993) is a New Zealand rugby league and union player. She played for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL Women's Premiership. Primarily a fullback, she is a New Zealand representative.

Born in Rarotonga, Nicolls-Paualau represented the Cook Islands rugby sevens team before switching to rugby league.

In 2017, Nicholls-Paulau began playing for the Otahuhu Leopards in the Auckland Rugby League. Later that year, she was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2017 Women's Rugby League World Cup. She captained the team in a 50–4 win over Canada. On 2 December 2017, she started at fullback in New Zealand's final loss to Australia.

On 11 February 2018, she was named the NZRL Women's Player of the Year.

On 1 August 2018, she joined the New Zealand Warriors NRL Women's Premiership team. In Round 1 of the 2018 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Warriors, kicking a goal in a 10–4 win over the Sydney Roosters.

In October 2019, Nicholls-Pualau was a member of New Zealand's 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s-winning squad.

In October 2022, she was selected for the New Zealand squad at the delayed 2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup in England.

Nicholls-Pualau was signed by Chiefs Manawa for the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season. She rejoined the side for the 2024 season.

On 27 Apr 2023 it was reported that she had returned to play rugby league with Canberra Raiders Women in their inaugural season. She played in the Raiders 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Apii Nicholls

Apii Nicholls-Pualau (born 26 February 1993) is a New Zealand rugby league and union player. She played for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL Women's Premiership. Primarily a fullback, she is a New Zealand representative. Born in Rarotonga...

nzwarriors.com

 

[mt.wellington]

Rugby league rookie Apii Nicholls-Pualau wins player of the year​

Alan Apted
February 19, 2018


Apii Nicholls-Pualau has always wanted to be a force for good.

So when she won New Zealand's best female rugby league player of the year at the recent New Zealand Rugby League annual awards, it came as a pleasant surprise.

"It's overwhelming... a huge surprise," Apii says.

The 24-year-old Rarotongan-born South Auckland resident is currently training at Police College in Wellington alongside fellow Kiwi Ferns and Counties Manukau Stingrays skipper Laura Mariu.



The pair will join the police force later this year.

"I want to make a difference in the community. I think this achievement, winning best player of the year, will help me."

The former Ōtāhuhu College pupil in one season went from Manurewa Wahine, Counties Manukau Stingrays and Kiwi Ferns rookie, to being the best of the best.

Apii won ahead of her Stingrays and Kiwi Ferns team mates Teuila Fotu-Moala and Krystal Rota.

She is the second rookie to win the award, topping the leader board for kick return metres at the World Cup racking up a massive 279 metres.

It's a remarkable achievement for the netball mad teenager who came to New Zealand in 2007 to finish school and wanted to be a Silver Fern. While playing sevens, she caught the eye of the national selectors.

"I took up league to help my sevens game. I wanted to be better tackler and believed that the contact and physicality of league would help me become one," Apii says.

"Sarina (Fiso) suggested I give rugby league a crack so I joined her Manurewa Wahine team. I went on to make the Stingrays and then got selected for the Kiwi Ferns and now this. I really owe Sarina for all this."

Kiwi and Warriors fullback, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck took out the men's accolade to complete a South Auckland shut out for the prime awards.

He was the Kiwis' top try scorer at the World Cup, three. He also had most carries, 72 and the registered the most metres, 626.

Counties Manukau's other finalists were Karla Matua (Manurewa Wahine), Nicole Baker-Havea (Ōtahuhu Rugby League) and Jim Doolan (Ōtara Scorpions) for volunteer of the year awards, Rusty Matua and Rod Ratu for coach of the year award and Sione Moala (Manurewa Marlins) who was up for the domestic under-16 player of the year.

Stuff

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