Even with a ho-hum tour to England late in the year, 2015 was another fabulous year for our group of kiwis earning a living in the NRL. It's a mark of Aotearoa's influence on the NRL that the likes of that end of year Kiwis tour, Shaun Johnson's gruesome injury and Kieran Foran's dramas didn't even come close to ruining 2015 from a kiwi perspective.

A lot of that has to do with the fact that for every high profile kiwi in the NRL, there's a few younger lads going about their business trying to establish themselves as certified NRL troopers. Each of these players below are unique, their circumstances vary and they are all at different stages of the NRL game but they all share a space in my mind as young kiwis with a very interesting year ahead of them.

Peta Hiku

I've got a few favourite kiwis (Jesse Bromwich and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck lead the way) and Peta Hiku is right there in the mix. Hiku came back from the Kiwis tour to be told that his services weren't required at Manly and was then snapped up by the Penrith Panthers. 

To say that I'm excited to see Hiku playing alongside Matt Moylan and on the opposite side to Dean Whare is an understatement and this Panthers team has quietly come together very nicely, even with the coaching dramas. Any time a player switches clubs there's always a bit of uncertainty, however all we have ever seen from Hiku is quality or class and I've got a sneaky feeling that Hiku could be about to enjoy a very successful year.

Manaia Cherrington

Not involved in rumours or dramas himself, Manaia Cherrington's name kept cropping up in those sorts of stories thanks to the mess of a situation that the Wests Tigers found themselves in. When Robbie Farah was initially told he could look elsewhere, I was over the moon with joy as this meant that Cherrington would be able to enjoy at least a few more opportunities, even if Matt Ballin was on his way west.

Cherrington enjoyed consistent game time last year as Farah battled injury around and after State Of Origin, now he's competing with Farah and Ballin for game time. Even with my kiwi-bias I can only see Cherrington ranked behind Farah and Ballin, which doesn't leave much room for minutes. 

I'm not sure what 2016 holds for Cherrington; he might start week one or he could be used sparingly and I'll be left very sad. I will be keeping a very close eye on the Tigers team sheet every week, even if it's their reserves' team sheet for Cherrington's name as he's a future Kiwis hooker.

Kodi Nikorima

After enjoying a fantastic debut season, I'm intrigued to see how Wayne Bennett uses Kodi Nikorima this year. The safe bet is that Nikorima will continue to come off the bench, giving Andrew McCullough a break and adding his dynamic running and sublime skills to the team, assets which McCullough doesn't have.

There could however also be opportunities for Nikorima to play in the halves or at fullback, two positions where he can certainly do a job for the Broncos. Second-year syndrome could also be a factor as opposition teams will be alert to Nikorima's speed around the ruck having watched him tear it up in 2015.

Brad Abbey

If Brad Abbey plays for the Doggies this year I will be rather surprised, yet very, very happy. Abbey had been consistently slick for the Warriors' Under 20s team over a few years and with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's arrival at Mt Smart, Abbey was lured to the Bulldogs with the hope of one day filling Brett Morris' fullback jersey.

Abbey was going to be stuck behind Tuivasa-Sheck in Auckland and is now stuck behind Morris in Sydney, which is an odd move. Coach Des Hasler obviously loves Abbey though and while Morris definitely got better with more time at fullback last season, I've got a weird feeling that we could see Abbey in action at some stage. 

Until then Abbey should feature every week in reserve grade for the Doggies.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

Injuries and illness ruined Dallin Watene-Zelezniak's 2015, just as he was settling into some consistent game time as a centre. Usually found on the wing or at fullback, DWZ did a job for the Panthers at centre and a very good job at that. Nowadays Penrith is a different place with Anthony Griffin the new coach and a few new additions meaning DWZ will likely settle on the wing. 

I've got DWZ as the most slept on kiwi in the NRL and after last season there's a strong chance DWZ will be one of the hottest kiwis in the game.

Te Maire Martin

Like Abbey, I don't think we'll see too much of Te Maire Martin this year. With that being said, Martin was lured to Penrith from the Tigers and we've all seen/heard about this kid and how he's the next Benji Marshall. That automatically makes Martin a very interesting prospect and keeping tabs on him in reserve grade will be worth your effort.

Don't sleep on Martin possibly getting a run in the halves for Penrith though, especially with Jamie Soward and Peter Wallace both on the wrong side of 30.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona

According to Wikipedia, Nelson Asofa-Solomona is 2m tall. I don't know how you could miss a giant like that, yet I reckon if you asked the average NRL fan if they knew of NSA, they wouldn't. Despite being only 19 years old, NSA played NRL games for Melbourne last season with rampaging runs and offloads a regular sight when NSA carried the footy.

Potential doesn't quite do this kid justice and with a full offseason to his name it's hard to imagine NSA not featuring each week. The Storm should be on the up as they've found a nice crop of younger/nicely experienced guys to work with their big three and NSA will play a large role in any success the Storm have.

Ben Henry

Who? Yeah Ben Henry, the guy who always seems close to establishing himself in the NRL before injury strikes. That's why we didn't see Benry in action last much year and I've got two questions that I'd like answered by the man himself on the field: Can he stay healthy? What's his best position?

Henry has shown talent and is a classy young man, it's just that he's too slow to play in centre and too small to be an edge forward. There's a bench spot that could have Henry's name on it but Henry isn't in my strongest Warriors 17, which leaves us with rather puzzling situation that only Henry can offer answers to.

Joseph Tapine

Beau Scott has left Newcastle leaving a hole on the edge for the Knights, a hole which Joseph Tapine could fill. The big kiwi has been drip-fed NRL footy so far, showing off his silky footwork and offloading ability in a breakout game against Brisbane last season which should make him a tricky customer for opposition defences with more game time this season.

Tapine could form a low key dual-edge threat with Tariq Sims and Robbie Rochow competing with Tapine for the starting spots. If Tapine can seal at least a bench spot he will quickly make his mark in the NRL.

Matt McIllwrick

He's the sort of tough, rugged, workaholic forward that Aotearoa hasn't really produced and Matt McIllwrick has so far been unable to found a home in the NRL. Starting in Canberra before joining the Roosters for 2015 and now he's with Cronulla, searching for an opportunity.

McIllwrick is capable of playing hooker and lock, two positions that the Sharks have covered with Michael Ennis and Paull Gallen so McIllwrick will have to wait for his chance, just as he's done so far in his career.