They went on to win games against Kiwi premiers Wellington Petone, the only all-Māori team & Auckland club & Te Atatu, which the Aboriginal side won 17–13.

During this period the team contained New South Wales Rugby League first grade players such as Ricky Walford, Graham Lyons, Ron Gibbs, Darrell Trindall, Paul Davis, Wayne Alberts, George Longbottom and Will Robinson.

In the post-1999 NRL season an Aboriginal side managed by Arthur Beetson defeated the Papua New Guinea Kumuls and the future rugby league Immortal was pushing for an Australia Day match against the Australian national team.

On the same day as the All Stars announcement, the league also revealed the NRL Pre-Season Challenge would return in 2024, with the tournament kicking off on February 15 and running across two weekends.

With no All-Stars game in 2017 due to the World Cup, the NRL will be hoping the inclusion of the New Zealand Māori side will spark popularity in the fixture.