'World-class player': Knights coach's high praise for Port's own Shanice Parker in World Cup debut

Caitlan Johnston and Yasmin Clydsdale have been selected in Australia's side for Sunday's final (November 20, 12.15am AEDT), while Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly will play for New Zealand.

However, Shanice Parker has been left off New Zealand's team list released on Friday, November 18 after injuring her knee earlier in the tournament in England.

Parker, from Raymond Terrace, was racing against the clock to recover from a medial ligament strain which kept her out of the Kiwi Ferns' past two games against Australia and England.

Australia beat New Zealand 10-8 in a thrilling end to the final round of pool matches last week to qualify for the semi-finals ahead of their Tasman rivals.

The Jillaroos then claimed a huge 82-0 victory over Papua New Guinea this week to reach the final, while New Zealand defeated host nation England 20-6 to set up the highly anticipated re-match with Australia.

The women's match is being played a day before the men's final at Old Trafford, Premier League football club Manchester United's home ground that has a crowd capacity of more than 74,000.

Knights winger Shanice Parker has been left off New Zealand's team list for the World Cup final, after injuring her knee earlier in the tournament. Picture supplied by the Newcastle Knights.

Griffiths said it would be the "biggest international match" Newcastle's premiership-winning NRLW players had been a part of and he had no doubt they would all rise to the occasion.

"If you look at our season, the effort and enthusiasm that Yasmin displayed, particularly in the grand final - the amount of work she did off the ball, she will take that into this weekend," he said.

"And Caitlan will just lead from the front. She is just an extremely fierce competitor. Both girls have played Origin and grand finals, so they're used to the big stage."

Griffiths equally backed the Kiwi Ferns' duo of Raymond Terrace-based Parker and Rotorua product Stephens-Daly.

He had spoken to Parker earlier in the week, saying she would undergo a fitness test on Wednesday to "see whether she is right to go" for the final.

"She said she had been doing some change of direction and was going to do some contact to see if she could get ticked off to play or not," he said.

"She acquitted herself quite well early in the tournament and is a world-class player."

The Knights centre juggled playing NRLW this season with raising her baby boy, Jakari. She was also on the team list for the Karuah Rooettes women's tackle side in the 2022 season.

She embarked on pre-season training with the Knights back in July about six months after giving birth.

Parker, 24, from Raymond Terrace, was racing against the clock to recover from a medial ligament strain which kept her out of the Kiwi Ferns' past two games against Australia and England. Picture supplied by the Newcastle Knights.

Parker said he found it "tough at times" being a professional athlete and mum, but said her teammates had made the experience all the more easier.

"He's got an extra 23 aunties now," she said of Jakari, now 10 months old.

Parker, the daughter of former Jillaroos player Danielle Parker who played at the 2000 World Cup, grew up on Australia's west coast in the southern suburbs of Perth.

A talented league and union player as a junior in the limited competitions in Western Australia, she moved to Sydney in 2018 to play women's Super Rugby with the Waratahs, winning back-to-back titles in 2018/19 and representing the national rugby and sevens sides around the same time.

She switched to league and was picked up by the Roosters, playing NRLW in 2019/20. She joined the Knights for the 2022 season.

Having dual eligibility from her New Zealand father, Parker played for the Maori All Stars in 2021 and was picked for the Kiwi Ferns in the 2022 World Cup days after the Knights won the NRLW premiership.

Parker said the selection came as a surprise.

"Prior to the baby this was my goal, and then after I had the baby I wasn't sure if I would be able to even reach the NRLW, so it was quite a shock to me to get selected," she said.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunity. Everything's happened so fast this year for me... I wouldn't be able to do it without my support crew."

The 24-year-old played in both of New Zealand's wins over France (46-0) and Cook Islands (34-4).

On debut for the Kiwis against France, Parker scored the final try playing at centre in the 78th minute. She also recorded two try-assists and finished with a game-high 223 run-metres.

Parker shifted to fullback for the Cook Islands.

Griffiths said Stephens-Daly, who was injured early in the NRLW campaign, had bounced back well playing an unfamiliar position.

"She has played a little bit of five-eighth in the past but ... coming back from a knee injury and being thrust into that was probably a little bit of a stretch," he said. "She has grown into the tournament."