Kathleen Wharton
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 26 August 1983 Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 21 November 2024 (aged 41) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 171 cm (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg (12 st 2 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: RLP As of 3 October 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kathleen Wharton (née Keremete; 26 August 1983 – 21 November 2024) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who played as second-row for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL Women's Premiership.
A New Zealand international, she represented her country at the 2008 and 2013 Women's Rugby League World Cups.
In 2008, Wharton was a member of New Zealand's 2008 Women's Rugby League World Cup-winning squad.[1] In 2013, she started at second-row in New Zealand's 2013 Women's Rugby League World Cup final loss to Australia.[2]
Following the World Cup, Wharton retired to focus on her career and raise her family.[3]
In 2019, Wharton returned to rugby league, representing the Māori All Stars|Māori All Stars in their 8–4 win over the Indigenous All Stars.[4] On 22 June 2019, she represented New Zealand for the first time in six years, scoring a try in their 46–8 win over Samoa in Auckland.[5]
On 10 July 2019, she signed with the New Zealand Warriors NRL Women's Premiership team.[6] In Round 1 of the 2019 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Warriors in a 16–12 win over the Sydney Roosters.[7]
On 22 February 2020, she started at second-row for the Maori All Stars in their 4–10 loss to the Indigenous All Stars.[8]