A new-look Queensland Reds women’s team has been selected for the Santos Festival of Rugby with an exciting blend of potential talent for 2026.
With former Wallaroos Sarah Riordan and Sarah Dougherty as leaders, the net has been cast wide to tap into new faces with something to offer in Narrabri and beyond.
Playing the NSW Waratahs at 2:30pm on Saturday at Dangar Park will be seen as the lift-off to more by the hungriest players who take their chance.
Reds Head Coach Andrew Fraser has scoured sevens, the armed forces, country rugby and the form club players in the StoreLocal Founders Cup to assemble the squad.
Exuberant flanker Paris Mohr (Bond University), winger Eva Doblo (Bond University), flanker Kieran Berry (University of Queensland) and reserve halfback Jess Craig (Wests) are among the in-form club players selected.
Infantry soldier Jordan Neal, who spent time in the North Queensland NRLW squad, is relocating to Brisbane.
She will play at prop in Narrabri, having recently returned from England where she played beside Reds captain Riordan for the Australian Defence Force in the International Defence Rugby Championship.
UQ prop Matauimalo Malele Iafeta also has a weightlifting background to harness.
The growing crossover between 15-a-side rugby and sevens, which Reds Women's High Performance Manager Nico Andrade has championed, will be on full display.
Fullback Kaelyn Passi and inside centre Ava Wereta have been selected to start while backrower Taleah Ackland and utility Tahlia Evans will come off the bench.
The quartet are all embracing a change-up from Queensland’s Next Gen 7s team. For Ackland, it will be her first game of 15-a-side rugby.
Just 18, Passi is still in Year 12 at King's Christian College on the Gold Coast.
She had a superb first half in Queensland’s winning final over NSW in last weekend’s Next Gen 7s at Ballymore. She dummied her way over from 40m out for her own try, threw the last pass for another and a strong counter-ruck set a third try in motion.
"I'm just learning 15s but I definitely want to play sevens and 15s. The more you are around high-level female players can only help my game," Passi said.
"I played a few games of 15s with Bond University earlier this year.
"Seeing that I can play rugby as a career and travel are big attractions for me and I like the idea of getting my family name out there in rugby."
Craig, 22, is a great example of self-improvement at minor premiers Wests this year.
“Every training session, I decided to do an hour of extras to work on my pass, my fitness, my box kicking,” Craig said.
“It 100 per cent helped me have a breakout year. Being part of Wests’ leadership group and a winning team helped with confidence and comms too.
“I’m ecstatic to get this chance.”
The daughter of Ryan Craig has had some handy kicking advice over the years from the former Brothers and GPS flyhalf.
Backrower Berry is a qualified electrician with a high-energy game and experience playing in England.
Fraser said the opportunity to play in Narrabri was about both this year and 2026 for the players.
“It’s like a capstone for 2025 to acknowledge and reward players from the Founders Cup but also a chance to see a new generation of Reds start to make a mark,” Fraser said.
“Given Sarah's experience in the game as a former Wallaroo, she’s a natural choice to lead as captain with Jemma Bemrose not available.”
QUEENSLAND REDS WOMEN vs NSW WARATAHS
Dangar Park, Narrabri
2:30pm AEST, Saturday
Live on rugby.com.au YouTube Channel
Queensland Reds
1 Jordan Neal - North Ward (Townsville)
2 Zophronia Setu - University of Queensland
3 Matauimalo Malele Iafeta - University of Queensland
4 Dillyn Blackburn - Wests
5 Vineta Teutau - Brothers
6 Paris Mohr - Bond University
7 Kieran Berry - University of Queensland
8 Sarah Riordan (c) - Brothers
9 Sarah Dougherty (vc) - Brothers
10 Renae Nona - Easts
11 Eva Doblo - Bond University
12 Ava Wereta - Bond University / Reds 7s
13 Briana Dascombe - Wests
14 Piper Flynn - Easts
15 Kaelyn Passi - Bond University / Reds 7s
Reserves
16 Ella Hopper - Brothers
17 Mary Tuanna - Wests
18 Molly Kennedy - University of Queensland
19 Taleah Ackland - University of Queensland / Reds 7s
20 Jess Craig - Wests
21 Zara Colless - Bond University
22 Tahlia Evans - University of Queensland / Reds 7s
23 Kalisi Longopoa - Sunnybank
24 Charity Wightman-Beaven - Easts / Emerging Reds Academy
25 Liliana Nati - Emerging Reds Academy
