When previewing the Kiwis Four Nations squad, Simon Mannering's named popped up as one that I was struggling to fit in. One that I had to fit in, because, well, he's Simon Mannering and he's as unique a kiwi rugby league player as Jason Taumalolo, offering up plenty of experience and defensive nous. 

This thought process actually reflects the confusion I felt about Mannering's contributions to the New Zealand Warriors this season. Mannering once again had the honour of winning a season MVP award based largely on the fact that he tackled his heart out in the middle of the field for the Warriors, playing big minutes all season long and rather than having to lead as the skipper, Mannering simply led by example and did so at a high level. 

A different perspective on Mannering's season though is that no other Warriors player really put their hand up to win that award and that Mannering high work-rate in the middle didn't have much of an influence on the Warriors. Obviously that's no knock on Mannering's work defensively as he did his best, however as I explain in my debrief of the Warriors back-row, Mannering wasn't overly effective on attack and perhaps all that work defensively took away from his ability to make metres via his athleticism and then offload with ease (he's frequently showcased a lovely passing game though).

I guess where I settle on Mannering with the Warriors is that he's the sort of player who can't make an average team a whole lot better - he could if he offered attacking ability like Sam Burgess to go with his defensive work - while in a good footy team, Mannering is a key cog in the middle of the field. 

With that context in mind, I struggled to make a compelling case for Mannering's selection over Jason Taumalolo at lock. Taumalolo did the double this year in winning the Players Champion award as well as the Dally M, which makes him easily the best in his position while Mannering is the best of an average team. Further complicating matters is Mannering's shift to the middle of the field after spending the early stages of his career on the edge or at centre, this move to the middle coincided with the arrivals of Bodene Thompson and Ryan Hoffman at the Warriors.

Tohu Harris also had a fantastic season on the left edge for Melbourne, leaving Mannering's only cheeky look at a starting spot coming at the expense of Kevin Proctor. Proctor and Harris are just as much Kiwis staples as Mannering is now, with their selections near-certainties each time a squad naming comes around, while David Kidwell also showed his hand in the Perth Test by bringing on Manu Ma'u to play left edge and moving Harris to the middle. I'd listen to cases about selecting Mannering over Harris, Proctor or Ma'u but not only do these three play on the edge every week in the NRL while Mannering toils away in the middle, I prefer their power or footwork over what Mannering offers.

Maybe Mannering could have slid into lock, pushing Taumalolo to start at prop alongside Jesse Bromwich as Taumalolo's role as a lock isn't all that different to that of a starting prop (under the 'middle forward' umbrella). Jared Waerea-Hargreaves didn't quite live up to the hype in his return to the Kiwis, so there could have been an opening for a bit of a re-shuffle. 

That's me clutching at straws though; point being that it would take some thinking to suss out where Mannering fits in and what role he plays. 

Mannering's replacement is also interesting as Naughty Northland's young gun (Adam Blair's the OG) James Fisher-Harris spent the season parked out on Penrith's right edge. Fisher-Harris did start his 2016 campaign rollin' up the guts, but settled on that right edge where he offers size, mobility and aggression. This means that Kidwell is probably looking at Fisher-Harris as offering depth on the edges.

The Kiwis are deep with middle forwards in this squad; Taumalolo, Bromwich, Blair, Waerea-Hargreaves, Martin Taupau along with Joseph Tapine who started his NRL career on the edge for Newcastle before moving to Canberra where Ricky Stuart chucked him in the middle. Harris was used through the middle against Australia and Greg Eastwood does both roles pretty well, joining Proctor, Manu Ma'u, Fisher-Harris and Lewis Brown at a stretch as edge forwards. 

It goes without saying that Mannering's absence will be felt and he's rugby league royalty in Aotearoa, although David Kidwell has one less headache bothering him now. He would have been up all night pondering a Kiwis starting forward pack and bench rotation that included Mannering, now Mannering's spot is given to one of the most promising kiwi forwards in the NRL in Fisher-Harris and he will benefit greatly from this experience.

Fisher-Harris and Tapine enjoyed breakout seasons in 2016, here they now are in a Kiwis Four Nations squad. If that doesn't excite you, remember that Nelson Asofa-Solomona will be aiming to bounce back from injury next season via Melbourne with an eye on World Cup selection. Things will only get trickier when wondering where Mannering fits in.