In November the Kiwis will kick off a three Test series against the Poms, a chance to see how this Kiwis group go against a rising English team who have plenty of NRL talent as well as a strong group of Super League players. We're all about the Kiwis however and with Shaun Johnson set to miss this tour thanks to a rather horrible ankle injury this Kiwis team will look slightly different to the team who has handled their business in last year's Four Nations and this year's ANZAC Test.

We have been quick to celebrate this Kiwis team, but I believe that they have been successful thanks to a clear style that has been implemented by coach Stephen Kearney. Johnson has been able to flourish thanks to a stable figure in Kieran Foran playing alongside him in the halves, but more importantly the Kiwis have a forward pack that is based on power and skill.

This suits the personnel available to Kearney while also attacking the weaknesses of a classy but ageing Kangaroos side. In keeping with this, here's my top 17 for the Kiwis right now...

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck - Goes without saying really but I'm eager to see RTS in a Kiwis jersey come November as he's improved drastically with his ball-playing and presence as a fullback.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak - Assuming that everything with the health of DWZ is all good, he should finally get his Kiwis debut. He's been given a bit of experience at fullback and at centre for the Panthers this season which is great and the ease at which he has filled these positions leaves me with no doubt in my mind that he's worthy of a Kiwis jumper.

Dean Whare - Standard as he's big, strong but also has great footwork.

Peta Hiku - I haven't seen Hiku make too many mistakes since coming into the NRL and he's much like DWZ he has dealt with different backline positions easily. Geoff Toovey has been able to ensure that Steve Matai and Jamie Lyon are fit because Hiku can do a great job at centre and he's a good option here.

Manu Vatuvei - Beast.

Kieran Foran - Fozza.

Benji Marshall - It's quite mind boggling as people discuss Johnson's replacement as the Kiwis halfback and personally I see it as a great sign of our depth that when injury strikes we can call on Marshall to do a job. Sure, he's not Johnson and no longer has that Johnson-like razzle dazzle ability, but with Foran there, this is a very solid halves pairing.

Jesse Bromwich - Here's hoping that the biting charge against Bromwich doesn't stick and we get to see him and Matulino in tandem again.

Issac Luke - Bully.

Ben Matulino - Muts.

Simon Mannering - Skip.

Kevin Proctor - Sideshow Bob.

Jason Taumalolo - The poster boy of the new Kiwis. Taumalolo's size, power and footwork is borderline crazy and he makes life so much easier for the Kiwis halves with his ability to relentlessly attack the ruck area.

Ze Bench...

Tohu Harris - Given that Harris has played in the halves for the Kiwis and the Storm while also being capable of playing in any position on the field - yes, don't kid yourselves Harris can legitimately do a job in any position, he's the perfect utility isn't he?

Sam Moa - Wind him up and watch him go, Moa's the perfect bench forward.

Martin Taupau - Taumalolo and Taupau are eerily similar and it's a great bonus to have two players of a similar mould in the middle of the field.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves - I can't leave him out, but I'm not so sure that Kearney can't leave him out. I love his combative nature, which does have its downsides but JWH is that niggly forward that we need.

That leaves me with a bunch of players who should be a part of the touring squad and who were extremely difficult to leave out of that top 17. This is great though because look at the list of players above and admire, they are all among the NRL's in their positions and some of them are the very best in their positions, let alone the league which is a great position for the Kiwis to be in.

Lewis Brown and Alex Glenn are similar players and they have performed admirably all season on the edges but offer cover in a range of positions. They deserve to be a part of the group, but our depth is such that I'm not going to pick either of them above any of those 17 players above.

Elijah Taylor also deserves to be in this squad and is the only Kiwis player who is a stereotypical workhorse. Taylor consistently pushes that 50 tackle mark in the NRL each week while also doing enough with the ball to warrant respect. Having Taylor start at lock would offer a stable middle presence, but he lacks the dynamic running of Taumalolo or Taupau.

That's 20 players so far and I think we're going to be looking at a 24-man squad which leaves us with four players to pick. This will depend a lot on whether Kearney wants to take a few veterans or use this as an opportunity to bring in a few younger players and give them the experience of touring with a confident Kiwis group. I'm all for youth, so I'm going to go all out and hand the remaining four spots to young lads.

This does mean that there are a few notable omissions. Omissions that should Kearney wish to roll out a squad with a bit more experience will easily slide into this squad - Adam Blair, Greg Eastwood, Jason Nightingale and Frank-Paul Nuuausala while Shaun Kenny-Dowall's selection obviously depends on his welbeing first of all and then whether or not he is guilty of the charges laid against him.

Alright, four youngsters that I would like to see taken on a tour of the Motherland.

Kodi Nikorima has enjoyed a great season with the Brisbane Broncos coming off the bench to give Andrew McCullough a break. He has also played a few minutes at fullback in the NRL this season and has come through the Broncos system as a half, so he'd be a great lad to take on tour and have to cover a few positions, but more importantly to give him experience of being around blokes like Luke, Foran and Marshall.

I also think that his Broncos homie Jordan Kahu should get a look in. Kahu offers versatility and a slept on factor is that Kearney is the assistant coach at the Broncos and would have worked a lot with Kahu and Nikorima. Kahu hasn't put a foot wrong whether playing on the wing, at centre or at fullback and has shown that with consistent game time, he's a goodun'.

That leaves two lads sitting in the 'unlucky' basket - Curtis Rona and Jordan Rapana. Both have enjoyed great seasons with the Bulldogs and Raiders and I wouldn't be upset if either of them made the squad. I will however hand my last two youngster spot to two forwards, hence they miss out.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona has only played a bunch of games in the NRL, but it's hard to ignore the impact this lad has had with the Storm. The first thing you notice about him is his size as he's 2 metres tall and in a league full of giants, Asofa-Solomona stands out. He's also very athletic and gets around the park with ease while also showing a great ability to offload. I imagine that he'll be a Kiwi at some stage over the next few years and I'd love to see him be a part of this tour.

I also like the work of Kenny Bromwich who had a slow start to 2015 but has shown that he deserves to play every week as he's a bit smaller, but is a aggressive player who is able to make repeat effort after repeat effort. I bring up Bromwich because I'm rocking with Albert Vete here but as he's already represented Tonga, I'm not sure where he sits and if he'd be keen to tour with the Kiwis as a squad member which could see his Tonga future hindered.

Should Vete accept the Kiwis offer, which not many young players haven't (it's a bummer, but there's always the chance to switch back to the Island nations come World Cup time which is great for the game), I reckon he'd be a great young player to have on tour. He has shown that he's a gun prop and he's a young man with a great head on his shoulders which could mean leadership opportunities with both the Warriors and Kiwis await down the track. Or, he could be a future captain of Tonga, which would be equally as cool.

A lot of water is still to go under the bridge with injuries and/or suspension likely to mean that things get a wee bit messed up which adds to the fun of all of this. As you and I both know however, it's a great time to be a Kiwi fan.