The depth of kiwi rugby league now means that each Kiwis squad comes with more difficult decisions for the coach and selectors. David Kidwell's first duty as the new Kiwis coach was narrow down a large train-on squad, combining those players with lads who had been enjoying Finals footy. 

On the surface there appear to be a few tough calls made by Kidwell, however the depth of talent makes the decision to drop Manu Vatuvei for example, fairly straight forward. Vatuvei's absence probably reflects the state of kiwi rugby league the best as players can no longer rely on previous performances and must demand selection. Jordan Rapana and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak have done far more this season to demand selection, while Jason Nightingale rolled out typically solid performances for a struggling Dragons side all season. This is the new Kiwis era where we've got depth and competition for spots folks.

Solomone Kata's selection is an interesting one because unlike fellow Tongan internationals David Fusitua and Manu Ma'u who grew up in Auckland, Kata left Tonga as a teenager and came to Auckland to play rugby union. Some don't like this murky eligibility aspect of international rugby league, however it's just a sign of the times - especially within the South-Pacific. Kata is eligible for both Tonga and Aotearoa, so the choice is his and he's opted to go down the Kiwis route so fair play.

Kata has been a stand out centre for the Warriors, yet even then his opportunity comes with Peta Hiku and Dean Whare out injured. Jordan Kahu and Shaun Kenny-Dowall won't let Kata waltz into a starting centre spot either and they can also play on the wing, meaning that with Rapana, Watene-Zelezniak, Kahu, Kenny-Dowall and Nightingale capable of starting, Fusitua and Kata will struggle for game time. Depth, kiwi rugby league has depth.

Te Maire Martin's selection fills me with joy and is another example of that lovely depth. Martin will likely have to sit behind Shaun Johnson and Thomas Leuluai, who already have a combination and that's not even including Kieran Foran. Kidwell has the option of giving Martin game time in the No.6 jersey alongside Johnson as well with Leuluai coming off the bench to play dummy half; Martin has only played a few NRL games but his class is blatantly obvious. 

While the outside backs and Martin in the halves gets me a little giddy, nothing quite compares to this Kiwis forward pack. Joseph Tapine has been a gun for Canberra off the bench this season, kinda doing what Jason Taumalolo and Martin Taupau do up the guts with speed, footwork and size a horrible combo to stop. I'm still waiting to see Taumalolo and Taupau play alongside Sio Siua Taukeiaho, however Tapine is cut from the same cloth and still gives us that Triple-T action.

We've come to see the Kiwis play a very powerful style of footy and understandably so with players like Taumalolo and Taupau. That style was ushered in by the players available as well as some shrewd work from Stephen Kearney, so it's great to see Kidwell sticking to this method in picking Tapine as he suits everything that this Kiwis forward pack does through the middle. I don't think we'll see Tapine break into a top-17, however he's there to put some pressure on those lads in front of him.

This forward pack is one of the best I've seen, thanks to the inclusion of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves. All the forwards named - from Adam Blair to Tohu Harris - are experienced and ooze mana. The funk in the forwards sits with Greg Eastwood as he was lethal on the edge for the Bulldogs this season, after spending the last few years in the middle. I am eager to see how Eastwood is used by Kidwell with the middle and edges stacked being full to the brim of talent. The edge-forward crew includes Harris, Kevin Proctor and Manu Ma'u while guys like Eastwood, Simon Mannering and Lewis Brown are also likely to be in the mix on the edges.

We know this Four Nations will be extremely difficult to win thanks to a resurgent Kangaroos side and an English side who are now coached by Wayne Bennett. We can't expect or predict success because international rugby league is as strong as it has ever been, yet I can't fight the anticipation or excitement when looking through this Kiwis squad.

Chur international footy.