Abigail Roache

Abigail Roache (born 12 September 2000) is a New Zealand professional rugby league player who plays for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL Women's Premiership.

Primarily a , she has represented New Zealand and previously played for the Newcastle Knights. In rugby union, she played for the Chiefs Manawa in Super Rugby Aupiki and provincially for the Auckland Storm.

Background Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Roache is the younger sister of former NRL player, Nathaniel Roache. She tore her ACL in both knees before turning 20 and had further surgery to repair meniscus injuries. She joined Chiefs Manawa for the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season.

Rugby league In 2022, Roache was awarded the Cathy Friend Women's Player of the Year for her outstanding performance for the Richmond Roses in the Auckland Rugby League competition.

Roache was initially left out of the Kiwi Ferns squad for the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup, but received a late call-up when Kararaina Wira-Kohu withdrew due to a torn calf days before the tournament.

In May 2023, Roache signed a 2-year contract with NRL Women's Premiership side Newcastle Knights. In round 1 of the 2023 NRLW season, she made her NRLW debut for the Knights against the St. George Illawarra Dragons, scoring a try in the Knights' 32–16 win.

In October 2023, Roache played at in the Knights' 24-18 Grand Final win over the Gold Coast Titans.

After 20 games with the Knights, Roache parted ways with the club at the end of the 2024 season.

On 18 December 2024, she joined the North Queensland Cowboys on a three-year contract.