Don't think you've got much choice Mooks

It's time for the annual look at how Aotearoa Warriors are handling their business in terms recruiting youngsters from around Aotearoa, in the super duper competitive landscape that is NRL recruitment/development. This year though, things are a little bit different as there will no longer be an Under 20s competition running parallel to the NRL and while the Warriors will likely roll out an Under 20s team in the New South Wales competition, things will never be the same.

This, along with the injection of Stephen Kearney and Brian Smith will result in reshuffle in how the Warriors structure their junior systems and pathways. So instead of reflecting on the moves the Warriors have made in their junior system, I'm more intrigued in what the Warriors will do; consider this setting the scene.

There are still aspects of the Warriors junior recruitment that tickle my toes every year and will continue to, regardless of any tweaks the Warriors make at this fork in the road. The first is the lazy yarn that everyone loves to roll out about the Warriors missing out on the best kiwi talent, while Australian clubs get their mits on Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Jamayne Isaako, Joseph Tapine, Danny Levi, Brandon Smith, James Fisher-Harris, Corey Harawira-Naera and Joseph Manu.

I specifically use those names as examples because none of those lads are from Auckland, well Brandon Smith's from Waiheke Island. While the Warriors have had a dubious record in snapping up the best Auckland-based talent, their recruitment has been Auckland-centric compared to Australian clubs who are more willing to find gems around Aotearoa.
It's low key important to note though that the likes of Harawira-Naera and Smith did spend time with the Warriors as teenagers, so the Warriors didn't overlook them and they may have missed out on them for reasons outside of their control.

Exploring this narrative of the Warriors missing out on Aotearoa's best rugby league (and rugby union) talent is fun because it's more about how I perceive this yarn. Each year I check in on my perception of that yarn, which is always an interesting journey in my own mind as I cover the Warriors intensively as well being all over the #KiwiNRL takeover.

And I didn't come up with the #KiwiNRL takeover for shits and giggles, it's happening. This isn't coming in the next five years, we are now in the belly of the #KiwiNRL beast and that has a significant influence on how I view the 'miss out on talent' yarn.

Don't get me wrong; under the previous regime, the Warriors weren't so good at scouting kiwi talent. Many people think that rugby league talent in Aotearoa should automatically be signed to the Warriors though and that shows how out of touch many people are with the sheer volume of youngsters from Aotearoa who make the move to Australia each year. Let alone the 1st XV rugby union players who are scouted by NRL clubs and we're dealing with abundance.

Aotearoa Warriors is a name that makes you think that Aotearoa is the Warriors catchment area and that the Warriors have the best access to talent in Aotearoa, that they see them first and then pass on them. Aotearoa is the NRL's catchment area, Aotearoa is a buffet of talent and there is so much talent in Aotearoa that the Warriors can fill their plate and NRL clubs can fill their plates as well. And everyone's eating the finest munchies.

This is evident in the work that NZRL and the sour taste left from Rugby League World Cup, doesn't apply to the great work NZRL has done in setting up infrastructure for junior pathways to NRL footy for young kiwis. NZRL has a constant flow of Under-16/18 teams, NZ Residents teams and the National Secondary Schools Tournament has gone from strength to strength, producing NZ Schoolboys teams and there's also the Taurahere program that not only offers players based in Australia a link back to Aotearoa, it gives NZ U16/18 teams more games against quality opposition.

There are High Performance Camps and NZRL recently announced a Talent Development set up that will now see the old four-day camps replaced with ten-week programs that are split into four hubs; two in Auckland, one in Taupo and Christchurch.

The odd four-day camp wasn't enough and to best prepare players, this needed to be split into regions throughout Aotearoa, over a greater time period. NZRL aims to provide infrastructure to keep kiwis in Aotearoa until they are 18yrs and this will best prepare youngsters for their move to Australia. Many of them would already have NRL contracts and would otherwise move to Australia at an earlier age to get into the system, now NZRL are offering something to help ease the jump across the ditch.

What's crucial is that NZRL are investing to serve the players and prepare the players for NRL careers. NZRL aren't doing this to give the Warriors a pipeline, they are giving the entire NRL a pipeline to kiwi talent. And that's because there's so much talent.

Enough talent for Australian clubs to get exceptional talent as well as the Warriors filling their stocks. It's the Warriors job to build an attractive destination, a culture that lures in the best talent and that will take a few years under Kearney. With so many players and all the NRL clubs tapping into the resource of Aotearoa, it's more about personal preference and right now, many Australian clubs are more attractive.

Along with that yarn, we have the rising profile of 1st XV schoolboy rugby union and how beneficial that has been for the NRL. I'll keep this to a Warriors perspective, but Australian clubs aren't just snapping up the best rugby league talent, they are loving the 1st XV pipeline and the list of top-tier 1st XV talent that is choosing NRL over Super Rugby is growing every year.

This is nothing new, it's only increasing as NRL clubs look for un-chartered territory. The update in how I've come to perceive this comes as I pondered the hype around Etene Nanai, who the Warriors signed from Saint Kentigern College. Also, Hayze Perham who was snapped up from Rotorua Boys High School. This is more about me poking fun at rugby union as the involvement of Nanai and Perham specifically, along with any other brewing prospect falls in the 'wait and see' bucket that I finish with down below.

There was a bit of buzz around Nanai earlier this year when his alignment to the Warriors was announced and Nanai is an example of a slight disconnect between 1st XV rugby and say, Super Rugby. This is similar to how NZRL aren't in the business of building a pipeline for the Warriors as prestigious rugby union schools in Aotearoa only care about winning (for a variety of reasons) and these schools aren't necessarily in the business of producing Auckland Blues players.

That's why schools will happily recruit teenagers who are showing promise in rugby league. Code-hopping ain't nothing for youngsters and well all know youngsters in Aotearoa grow up happily playing union and league. Nanai was an established league junior for Mangere East Hawks and Otahuhu Leopards, making NZ Residents U16 in 2014, then he slid over to help St Kents continue their 1st XV dominance.

Funny, 'cos when Nanai's connection to the Warriors was reported, Nanai was only viewed as a rugby union star and Nanai's history in rugby league was completely overlooked - hence it was a bit of a shock that he had been signed by the Warriors. 1st XV schools only care about themselves and their prestige, which means they chase the best talent that other schools aren't chasing. Rugby union doesn't quite understand how the landscape is changing in Aotearoa and the pathway to professional footy plays a large role in which code these code-hopping wizards opt for.

Perham for example, played 1st XV union for RBHS and also played fullback for NZ U18s this year. With an offer from the Warriors on the table, Perham opted for league because the path was laid out for him and the NRL offers younger players to get into a professional set up quicker.

Nanai and Perham are very different cases though as Nanai was recruited to a typical union school, while Perham was able to play both codes. To come full circle, how these two and the other juniors the Warriors have on their books get opportunities next season is of huge interest to me and this is why I view this as a fork in the road juncture. Gone is the Under 20s competition, so what do the Warriors view as the best way to develop their talent; could Nanai and Perham slot straight into reserve grade?

The Warriors now have to name six development players, of which Nanai and Perham will likely be two. I suspect the Warriors will also build Under 18 and Under 20 teams, but that's what is so funky about this as I'm only really guessing and I'm keen to embark on this journey. I'm keen to see how the Warriors now structure their junior system and also what players are where. This summer I'll keep close tabs how the Warriors go about this and try to offer as much opinion as possible on the information I have access, information you have access to as well.

Consider this a line in the sand moment. We are embarking on a new era of Warriors junior recruitment and the overall failure up to this point doesn't matter now, we're starting fresh. The #KiwiNRL takeover and continual rise of rugby league in Aotearoa is the back drop, while the scrapping the Under 20s competition and new Warriors leadership with fresh ideas adds some serious funk. Stay tuned.

Hit an ad if you enjoyed the read and like the rugby league thing. Chur.

Peace and love 27.