Brooker returns to captain Matatu for Super Rugby Aupiki after AFLW adventure with Essendon

Grace Brooker has returned to rugby as captain of Matatu for the 2026 Super Rugby Aupiki season, bringing new skills and perspectives from a trailblazing stint with Essendon in Australia’s women’s AFL competition.

Brooker became Essendon’s first-ever rookie signing when she joined the club’s 30-strong AFLW roster after losing her Black Ferns contract in 2024. She played five of the Bombers’ 12 games in the 2025 AFLW season as the club finished 14th out of 18 teams, but she returns to rugby with nothing but affection for the experience.

“There were a number of things AFL taught me, like different techniques for kicking the ball, new perspectives on how to find space and contesting in the air,” Brooker told RugbyPass. “Managing that challenge was an area of growth for me and my fitness is definitely better. You cover a lot of ground. In the first couple of games, I was running around like a headless goose.”

The move to Australian rules came after a frustrating period in which Brooker was overlooked for Black Ferns selection despite a strong 2024 Aupiki campaign — one in which she featured in both wins against Hurricanes Poua and Chiefs Manawa and ranked inside the top 20 for metres run, defenders beaten, line breaks, and offloads. She had previously returned from a ruptured patella tendon suffered while playing for the Black Ferns in late 2021.

The opportunity at Essendon grew from a friendship Brooker struck up with club coach Natalie Wood while playing rugby in Japan. The pair exchanged calls and videos before Wood invited Brooker to a pre-season camp, where she earned the final roster spot.

Brooker trained at Essendon’s state-of-the-art facility known as The Hangar, which houses an indoor field, basketball courts, a 25-metre swimming pool, a private gym, sauna, ice bath, physio room, and changing rooms. She described her teammates as generous and supportive throughout. “Everyone was amazing. They took me under their wings and taught me how to play the game. They were there for any questions, more than gracious with feedback and extra training.”

She joins a notable group of rugby players who have crossed into Australian rules, including 2016 Rio Sevens gold medallist Chloe Dalton, the Levi sisters Maddison and Teagan, and Courtney Hodder. In the men’s game, Wallabies Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau made similar transitions, while Canada international Mike Pyke played 113 games and won a Premiership with the Sydney Swans in 2012.

Brooker grew up in Oxford, New Zealand, the youngest of three siblings. Her father Dave, a tenacious flanker who represented North Canterbury, regularly ran 20km a day with her while managing the family farm. She went on to serve as deputy head girl at Christchurch Girls’ High School and excelled for Canterbury before making her mark at the highest level of the women’s game.