POKO PRIMED TO LEAD TRILLO METALS WOMEN’S CANTERBURY BULLS’ CAMPAIGN
The Trillo Metals’ Women’s Canterbury Bulls’ 2025 NZRL National Women’s Premiership foray gets underway in Papakura this weekend – and one of the region’s most decorated women’s rugby league products will be leading their charge.
After featuring on the team’s coaching staff and unexpectedly filling in as a player in 2024, former Kiwi Fern and NRLW star Charntay Poko is looking forward to a fully-fledged campaign in the red-and-black jersey over the next month.
“The preparations have been awesome, we’re running along pretty good and I’m excited for the first week against Akarana,” Poko says.
“Looking forward to putting the pieces together and seeing what we can showcase on Saturday.
“Last year was probably a big learning curve for all of us. We’ve struggled with balancing the women’s space between rugby [union] and our youth coming through – it’s always hard to navigate, not just in our province but all over the country.
“I had to help the crew out and put the boots on … but it was all good.
“But this year we’ve got girls that have chosen to play for the Bulls and put their best foot forward just for the Bulls’ campaign, so trainings have been awesome.
“It’s the same lot of girls showing up and not too many disruptions – hopefully we can continue that throughout the whole campaign and look to build each week.”
TRILLO METALS WOMEN’S CANTERBURY BULLS LAYING FOUNDATION FOR PROGRESS
Poko was a late addition to Sydenham Swans’ surge to a second straight CRL Bartercard Women’s Premiership title, but she underlined her class and influence with two tries in their thrilling grand final victory over Linwood Keas.
Her batteries recharged after a few seasons of limited appearances on the field, the 29-year-old’s fire to represent Trillo Metals Women’s Canterbury Bulls has been reignited.
“I haven’t really played footy in the last maybe three years. When I returned from the Newcastle Knights, I took a step away just to work on myself,” she explains.
“Sometimes it just takes a toll on the body, so it was just a calling to have a wee break – and I knew that I was probably going to get back into it, it was just a matter of when.
“Things happen for a reason and they happen in His timing.”
While Poko’s inclusion is a major coup for coach Joseph Purcell-Mika and a talented, youthful Trillo Metals Women’s Canterbury Bulls squad eager for leadership, the long-serving former Canterbury rugby union rep and Matatū Super Rugby player is thankful to be back in the fold herself.
“Obviously I didn’t play a full season with the Swans but I managed to catch a couple of games before putting my hand up for selection for the Bulls.
“I’m grateful to CRL for [the dispensation] to play this season and grateful to ‘Smokie’ (Purcell-Mika) for allowing selection and obviously honoured to get the captaincy and be able to lead the girls around the park.
“My purpose I guess is just to help direct and lead the young girls coming through. We’ve got exceptional talent slowly developing through our age grades … I’m just keen to lend a helping hand, lead at trainings and on the field and pass on knowledge so that our journey can be a bit more enjoyable this season.”
Poko was named in the Warriors’ inaugural squad in 2018, but she was ruled out of the campaign after it was revealed she had two broken tibias – stress fractures that had developed into full breaks.
But she recovered in time for the 2019 ARL club season, flying from Christchurch to Auckland every week to play for Richmond Roses, and kicking four goals on Test debut in the Kiwi Ferns’ mid-season defeat of Fetu Samoa.
The then-23-year-old was subsequently one of the standouts of the 2019 NRLW premiership for the Warriors, earning a nomination for the Dally M Women’s Player of the Year award. Poko was part of New Zealand’s victorious World Cup Nines squad later that year, while she retained the No.6 jersey for the subsequent Test loss to Australia.
Poko later featured in the early-2022 NRLW season with the fledgling Newcastle Knights, playing all five games at lock or halfback.
Those lofty heights have given her a refreshing perspective for guiding the next crop of players through at grassroots level.
“That was a wee while back, but I’m always able to look back on those experiences and the lessons and learnings I’ve taken to make my game a little bit better now,” Poko muses.
“Just because I’ve been in that space it doesn’t mean I’m all high and mighty, [but] I’m able to pass knowledge on and I think that’s at the forefront for most women that play the game – we are just trying to make the space better for our younger ones coming through.
“We always aim to leave the jersey in a better place.
“So although the accolades and making those teams have been an awesome achievement for me and my family, it was necessarily about celebrating those.
“It was about creating that pathway so that hopefully in five, six years’ time we’ve done our deed and with the depth around the country and obviously over in Australia, we can leave the space in a better place and they can be fulltime athletes, just see the game grow.”
Poko enjoyed another surprise representative renaissance last October, answering an SOS from the Cook Islands.
Off limited preparation – aside from her impromptu outings for the Trillo Metals Women’s Canterbury Bulls – she lined up at five-eighth in an 18-6 loss to Fiji in Suva.
“That just came out of nowhere to be honest, but ‘Rusty’ (Anthony Matua) called through asking how I was and what my intentions on footy were.
“Unfortunately they’d copped a couple of injuries in crucial positions, so they were just looking for another half to step in and obviously I was very honoured and grateful that they thought of me.
“It’s an opportunity you wouldn’t want to turn away, the Kukis have a big part of me, it’s part of my identity, it’s my culture, it’s my nationality. It was awesome to get out there and wear the colours for the first time.”
Poko already boasts an impressive legacy in the Canterbury women’s team. Her brilliance with the ball in hand or on the boot was the standout individual feature of the COVID-impacted NZRL National Women’s Competition in 2021, which Canterbury won.
Vastly experienced in the halves and at lock, she starred at hooker in the Swans’ grand final win – providing Purcell-Mika with a plethora of options for the Trillo Metals Canterbury Women’s five-match round-robin against Akarana, Auckland, Waikato, Counties Manukau and Wellington.
“I started out in the halves, whether that was at six or seven, then I featured at lock for the Newcastle Knights – but honestly I’m happy to go wherever the team needs me and the coach wants me.
“This year, just wherever the ball is I’ll probably featuring around that. You could see me in the halves in a couple of games, at loose forward in a couple of games, but I’m pretty easy.
“It doesn’t matter what position or number I’m wearing, my intentions for this season are to lead our group around.”
Saturday’s showdown with heavyweights Akarana at Massey Park (3pm kick-off – live on Sky channel 56) is the primary focus now for Purcell-Mika, Poko and her fellow wahine.
“We’re coming up against a top side, they’re well prepared, they’re coached by a great human and someone I’ve played a lot of footy with, Charlotte Scanlan,” Poko says.
“I know from experience what she’s like and preparation is key for her.
“I guess for us, we’re not looking that far ahead – just look internally and this year we want to play a good brand of footy. We’ve got a great group of girls that have come from numerous clubs and they’ve been picked for a reason.
“It’s about installing that confidence in them, that although we’ve all come from different backgrounds and teams, you’ve been picked for a reason and we’re just here to puzzle it all together.”
