#KiwiNRL Bandwagon Teams To Support
Run it straight g ... nah I was joking eah
There's no better time to be enjoying the weekly NRL action from atop your perch in Aotearoa as kiwis continue to take over. It's always better when you're rooting for one team over the other though and that only goes to a next-level when you can basically support the team with the most kiwis or the most interesting group of kiwis when they come against a team who simply aren't on the kiwi bandwagon.
Don't be silly - you don't need to support the Warriors just because they are the 'New Zealand Warriors'. The kiwi and polynesian presence throughout the NRL is such that you can get your kiwi-loving fix from other NRL teams, especially within the context of the NRL season. Some NRL teams aren't on the kiwi bandwagon *cough Rabbitohs cough* but there's still time for you to jump on an NRL team's bandwagon and ride their wave for the rest of the season, based purely on the strength of their kiwi contingent.
A good place to start is in Melbourne where the Storm have possibly the best kiwi group, playing consistently at the highest level and on top of that, the Storm could sneak their way into yet another Grand Final. Jesse Bromwich is the best prop in the NRL and without him offering strong carries, lethal footwork and a cheeky offload, the likes of Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk simply wouldn't be where they are at this stage of their careers. Smith and Cronk are greats of the game, but the growth of Bromwich and his development has reinvigorated them both.
Jesse is supported by his younger brother Kenny and Kenny is gradually enjoying a more prominent role in the Storm. Kenny's found a niche in playing through the middle, which is a bit strange as he's not a huge bloke but Kenny is quick-footed, runs the footy like his life depends on it and has tremendous skill. Any time you watch the Storm play, keep an eye out for Kenny passing to Jesse or vice versa as this has worked many times for the Storm this season.
Bromwich Bros Inc. is brought to you by Manurewa and the Manurewa Marlins #Southside.
Kevin Proctor and Tohu Harris own either edge, with Proctor playing off of Cronk's hip on the right and Harris forming a low key impressive combination with Blake Green on the left. Proctor does a solid job every week and doesn't get a whole lot of praise as he simply goes about his business, I reckon if you ask Cronk about Proctor's value though and he'd shower Proctor with praise.
Any NRL fan or Kiwis fan would know how versatile Harris is and to be honest, Harris is nothing less than a freak. He's done a job in pretty much every position for the Storm and does so at a genuine NRL level, what's exciting though is that Harris should settle down into his job on the left and as long as the Storm stay healthy, Harris will thrive in doing the same job with the same players around him.
Bolstering the Storm's Kiwi Gang this season has been the emergence of Nelson Asofa-Solomona. With NAS coming off the bench and adding some serious whack through the middle, Melbourne have an extra dimension as they are never struggling to get down-field and NAS also loves to flick an offload out which only sparks Melbourne's creative juices into action. NAS is currently injured and that might not be the worst thing as the Storm definitely have the firepower without NAS to stay in the top-4, then NAS could return just in time for some Finals footy.
It's absolutely no coincidence that Melbourne are perfect poised for a Premiership run - better positioned than they have been in the past five years - and that their group of kiwis are all in their peak years, plus NAS has announced his arrival.
While the Storm have strength in numbers and immense quality, North Queensland Cowboys have Jason Taumalolo and he's worth your support by himself. The Cowboys have Auckland-born Samoan international Antonio Winterstein on the wing and he's a winger who rarely puts a foot wrong, doing a great job every week for the Cowboys.
For me, this is about Taumalolo though and the Otahuhu Leopards junior is arguably the best No.13 in the NRL. It's difficult to say that Taumalolo is the best because he is just so different from other high-quality locks like Corey Parker and Paul Gallen who get through plenty of work and play big minutes. There's no other NRL forward who has the size, speed and footwork of Taumalolo which makes him my favourite player to watch as he's borderline unstoppable through the middle for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys won a Premiership last season and are in the mix this season partly because they have best trio of middle forwards in the NRL. Taumalolo is joined by Matt Scott and James Tamou, enabling the Cowboys to roll up field with ease and generate quick play-the-balls from which the likes of Jake Granville, Jonathan Thurston, Michael Morgan and Lachlan Coote can work their magic. Taumalolo is part of that trio but he stands alone as a behemoth; he's ranked 2nd in run metres with 2,753m for the entire NRL.
Taumalolo is 2nd to James Graham, but Graham also leads the NRL in runs (Graham has 369 runs, Taumalolo has 255) and when you consider that Taumalolo averages 10.79m with each run, you realise just how much impact Taumalolo has carting the footy up. Averaging over 10m with each carry basically means that Taumalolo is getting to or through the opposition defensive line on a consistent basis and that's crucial to the Cowboys success.
Watching the Cowboys is always fun because Thurston's wizardry is something to marvel at but from a kiwi perspective, Taumalolo's presence makes the Cowboys the perfect team to support in the run home. What's better is that Taumalolo usually plays between 45-55 minutes (and is ranked 2nd in metres!!) so when you're watching the Cowboys, you've got a period of the game where you can go pee, get a munch or you can then switch your attention to Winterstein ... or Thurston I guess.
Then we have the Bulldogs and I had to include the Doggies in this because their kiwi contingent is at an all-time high and they offer plenty of funk with their kiwis. This is led by Auckland-born Samoan international Sam Kasiano who is a wildcard that the Bulldogs have up their sleeve as he's equally as gifted in carting the ball up as he is in throwing a no-look-cut-out pass to set up a centre or winger.
Kasiano doesn't play big minutes but is highly influential when he's in the mood, there's also the combination of Curtis Rona and Sam Perrett though who can keep you entertained for 80 minutes. Rona's moved to centre and that's coincided with the Morris brothers being united, this has allowed Rona and Perrett to form their own kiwi combination.
Greg Eastwood has also had a slight change of jobs this season as he's moved from the middle of the field to the edge where he can use his size, footwork and skill to cause havoc. With Kasiano capable of ranging out wider where he's a man amongst boys and Eastwood the prototype edge forward, the Doggies have just as dangerous a threat on their edges as they do through the middle. Throw in former Warrior Raymond Faitala-Mariner in as a possibility to come off the bench each week and the Doggies have a kiwi/polynesian crew that's bursting at the seams.
The Bulldogs aren't quite favourites for an NRL Premiership, however the thing about them is that any success they do have will came via dazzling performances from guys like Kasiano and Eastwood especially. It's hard to see the Bulldogs doing anything of note in this season without exceptional contributions from their Aotearoa-born lads.