Keas set to swoop in women’s grand final
After eliminating their 2025 grand final conquerors in last weekend’s semi, Linwood Keas are primed to go one better in this year’s CRL Happy Hire Women’s Premiership grand final.
The Keas overwhelmed Sydenham Swans 36-6 in the semis to extend their winning streak to six matches ahead of their CRL Snap Fitness Grand Final Day showdown with the table-topping Hornby Panthers.
“It’s been an awesome season,” Linwood’s head coach Massey Williams says.
“Obviously coming in as a first-time coach in this club, [I was] pretty nervous, but the club has such good culture and it was a very pretty seamless transition for me with support from the management staff and the players.
“The girls have worked hard all season, we’ve had a few players come and go through injuries so we had a few battles there, but the girls are excited and ready to challenge for another championship.”
Williams believes their semi-final performance against the Swans – where they powered away in the second stanza after laying a strong foundation in a hard-fought first half – was an ideal tune-up for their winner-takes-all Ngā Puna Wai assignment.
“We knew that it was going to be a physical game and it was; [during] the first half it was only 6-all and it just required the girls just to kind of tighten up on a few areas.
“Then once we were able to make that adjustment and apply our own game strategy, we were able to tighten the screws and get away with it. So yeah, very happy – especially against the two-time defending champs.”
As well as boasting some of Canterbury’s best young women’s players, the Keas’ line-up is guided by a core of experienced campaigners – despite a reasonable amount of turnover from last year’s grand final squad.
Front-rower Jasmine Wynyard captains the side, while 2026 addition Shade McGregor-Pakau – a former Trillo Metals Canterbury Bulls Women’s skipper – is vice-captain and classy veteran Cassie Siataga serves as the Keas’ senior playmaker.
“We’ve got such an amazing squad across the board, both in the forwards and the backs,” Williams enthuses.
“Cass leading the general play, then we’ve also got our captain, Jas, who is just Jas, and also vice-captain Shade, who are all so experienced.
“The team is just very blessed and stacked with a lot of leadership qualities. So if it is tight and tough, they can lean on them and just help the younger players because we’ve got a good cross-section of young players and old players.
“It’s been exciting to see them work together.”
If the combatants’ regular-season encounters are any gauge, we’re in for another CRL Happy Hire Women’s Premiership grand final thriller.
After sitting out Round 1 with the bye, the Keas were edged out 22-18 at home by the Panthers in Round 2. But they turned the tables with a 16-14 comeback victory at Leslie Park in late-June – the Panthers’ only defeat this season.
“The main thing for us is just making sure that we are accurate with how we play,” Williams says.
“Both times we played them, we made some mistakes. In the first round we lost to them, but then in the second round we were able to make the adjustment – but it was still a very tight game.
“It’s just been a case of the girls learning to use the resources that they have, and the girls have a lot of resources at their disposal. So it’s getting them to trust the system that we’ve worked on and trust their skillsets as individuals.
“Hornby are a very dangerous forward pack, strong and mobile, so we’re going to have a lot of battles there, but we’ve got our strengths. We want to use that a lot more this time around.”
After the all-conquering Linwood men’s team were bundled out of the finals in straight sets following an unbeaten regular season campaign, the Keas women have even greater motivation to take the Canterbury Rugby League Challenge Trophy east for the first time since 2023.
“The Keas is a very proud, family-based club and when one team loses, especially the premiers, it affects the others,” Williams confirms.
“We’re kind of devastated for them because they’ve worked so hard through the season. But we’re still lucky to have two teams (women’s and premier reserves) making it through.
“So we will represent the club the best way we know how to, and that’s fighting hard and working well as a team and a unit. Hopefully we will get away with the victory.”
Photo credit: Abraham Atherton Photography
