A new-look Newcastle Rebels will look to take the Men’s Country Championships by storm again, bolstered by a blend of emerging talent and seasoned international experience as the competition prepares to kick off for 2026.
The Country Championships will again feature the best talent from 10 teams across Regional NSW including the North Coast Bulldogs, Northern Rivers Titans, Northern Tigers, Monaro Colts, Riverina Bulls, Central Coast Roosters, Newcastle Rebels, Illawarra South Coast Steelers, Macarthur Wests Tigers and the Western Rams.
Newcastle, who have won the past three Men’s Country Championships, will aim for another chapter in the history books as they look to claim a fourth consecutive title. Despite their success, the Rebels will take the field with a new-look squad under the guidance of coach Garth Brennan.
“We’ve had a big turnover of players this year,” Brennan said.
“I’ve decided to blood some new guys into the squad. I think we have got about 11 or 12 new faces in the squad which is quite significant from the previous years.
“It is a new look team, but it is an exciting blend of youth as well as experience.”
That experience comes in the form of two high-profile inclusions, with former internationals Kevin Naiqama and Sione Mata’utia joining the Rebels 2026 campaign.
Naiqama returns to the game after retiring in 2024, bringing with him a wealth of experience including 120 NRL matches, 115 Super League appearances and an accomplished international career with Fiji.
Mata’utia’s playing resume is equally impressive. Becoming the youngest ever Australian Kangaroos debutant at the age of 18 years and 129 days. The former Australian and Samoan international went on to play 124 NRL games and 75 matches in the Super League. Both inclusions are guaranteed to be handy pickups for the reigning premieres.
“Mata’utia has played for Australia – there’s not much more you can do than that,” Brennan said.
“To have the youngest Kangaroo in our Rebels side is a bit of a coup for us here in Newcastle.
“Kevin Naiqama has also played a lot of NRL, English Super League, and won grand finals. They’ve both won grand finals at St Helens, so it is a good experience to bring them in with our younger guys.”
A close finish to last year’s grand final has proven the growing quality of the country competitions. The Rebels narrowed out the Northern Rivers Titans with a 32-28 victory to seal their third consecutive title.
“I’m very confident we can continue our success, but I have noticed over the last year how close the competition has become,” he said.
“The grand final was a cracker, right down to the wire, and we were only lucky to get away from Northern Rivers. That is great for country Rugby League.
“Obviously I want to win it, but my focus for why I am involved being an NRL coach and encouraging those Sione Mata’uita’s to play in these comps, is to give back to country Rugby League and make the whole country Rugby League competition strong, not just Newcastle.”
