While we've run through all the possibilities of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's absence for the New Zealand Warriors this season, we are now being treated to how Tuivasa-Sheck's absence impacts Aotearoa's Kiwis. Heading into the Four Nations, I thought that Dallin Watene-Zelezniak would have a sniff of playing fullback after doing a decent job earlier in the year but the Penrith winger is yet to feature for the Kiwis, leaving Jordan Kahu to hold things down in the No.1 jersey.

Following Kahu's career thus far has been one of the low key most intriguing storylines from a #KiwiNRL perspective. Despite suffering multiple major knee injuries, Brisbane stood by Kahu and after enjoying some consistent game time in the NRL, Kahu has flourished as a versatile outside back which has culminated in him playing a key role in supporting Shaun Johnson in the win over England.

Even with the Broncos, Kahu has been unable to get much game time at fullback thanks to the presence of Darius Boyd as well as Kodi Nikorima who has filled in a few times. That Kahu can be called on by Wayne Bennett to do a job on the wing or at centre, is perhaps the best example of Kahu's natural ability as a footballer. Regardless of what side of the field he's on or who he's lining up against, Kahu has the ability to go about his business without a miss-step while also offering an abundance of classy touches.

We saw a few of those classy touches against England, with the try-assisting pass to Jordan Rapana and a delightful grubber to almost give Solomone Kata a try. There are not too many similarities between Kahu and Tuivasa-Sheck in how the run the footy from fullback as Tuivasa-Sheck is all power with the best footwork in the game and Kahu tends to rely more on subtle footwork, leaning into tackles as opposed to swiftly stepping between them. What they have in common though is a wide variety of skills and while Tuivasa-Sheck was a try assist machine with the Roosters, thus putting his ability with his hands on full display, I've only really heard about how skillful Kahu is as a player.

Everything I heard and read about Kahu always included something about his skill, hence the Broncos stuck by him through those injuries and that once he had established himself in the NRL, that we would soon be in awe of what he could dish up. Kahu had a try assist, forced a repeat set, ran for 102m off 11 carries, regularly got into dummy half to make a pass, didn't make an error and kicked a couple goals; basically he can do it all.

Kahu's performance against England gave us a little teaser of what he can do and how influential he can be from fullback and if the Kiwis are to win the Four Nations, they will need Kahu to shine in support of Johnson. Should the Kiwis make the final, Kahu would have played a few games alongside Johnson and their combination which directly led to Rapana's try will be fun to watch and exciting for Kiwis fans. Kahu has the all-round game to ease some pressure off of Johnson's shoulders as well as Thomas Leuluai's and having Kahu play a similar role to Australia's Boyd with his own funky twist, could give the Kiwis the edge they need.

Kahu's work at fullback in the Four Nations will also be food for thought regarding the return of Tuivasa-Sheck. All things being equal, Tuivasa-Sheck should waltz back into the Kiwis fullback jersey which would confine Kahu to a role on the edges, most likely at centre. Even then, it's not like the Kiwis are short on centres with Solomone Kata doing a great job in keeping Kallum Watkins quiet, while Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Dean Whare and Peta Hiku will all be competing for outside backs spots come World Cup time. 

If the stars align in a certain pattern, we could see Kahu sniffing around that No.6 jersey next year. Kieran Foran and Te Maire Martin would have something to say about that though, I mean there's plenty of competition for spots on the wing as well, with Watene-Zelezniak behind Rapana and Jason Nightingale in England. The good thing for Kahu is that he can genuinely cover any backline position, which makes him a valuable squad member.

For now though, we have the opportunity to enjoy Kahu as the Kiwis fullback. And that's all I want to do as Kahu has quickly risen the ranks to be one of my favourite Kiwis, with Kahu's work in the win over England giving us a glimpse at what he can do in the No.1 jersey. How Kahu now develops throughout the remainder of the Four Nations will be fun narrative to keep tabs on, hopefully climaxing with a win in the final.