It appears as though Kalyn Ponga has gone down the Australia route with his selection in Queensland's Emerging Origin squad, opting to slide into the Origin set up instead of making himself available for Aotearoa. This isn't set in stone as Ponga could still flip to Aotearoa and until Ponga himself offers insight into his allegiance by speaking or being selected for Queensland, the door is still open.

The best way for me to sum it up is that I'm not assuming that because Queensland coach Kevin Walters said this or that, that it means Ponga has made up his mind. Walters obviously has an interest in getting Ponga into the Queensland set up and given that Ponga never played a game for either Junior Kangaroos or Junior Kiwis, thus allowing him more time to make his decision, it's not crazy to think that Ponga isn't just testing different waters.

Don't forget that Ponga took part in a Kiwis camp prior to the 2015 Four Nations and so the trend here is that Ponga has taken part in various camps that didn't force him to make a decision, but allowed him a taste of either side. I only highlight that trend because it's the smart route to take for players like Ponga and there will be many more players in Ponga's position as the number of Maori players being born in Australia is only increasing.

This resulted in Ponga taking part in the Aotearoa Maori camp after the NRL season as he was ruled out of playing but still helped the team out in their fixture vs Aotearoa Residents. I'd suggest that such fixtures will only grow in stature as turning out for Aotearoa Maori would give players a chance to feel their kiwi vibes and their culture, while still allowing them to give back to Australia which developed them as men and footy players. You could see Aotearoa Maori roll out a stacked team when the stars align with availability and that would create plenty of buzz for these games.

It's also important to note that the Chairman of New Zealand Maori Rugby League John Devonshire effectively broke news of Ponga's future when Ponga was named in the Maori squad as he straight up said Ponga would play for Queensland and Australia.

In terms of how Ponga's move impacts the Kiwis, this couldn't come at a better time as the #KiwiNRL takeover is steadily building momentum; if Aotearoa doesn't already have depth and emerging depth, in three years Aotearoa will have copious depth.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will be the Kiwis fullback as long as he's healthy and wants to be there. The likes of Jahrome Hughes (Storm), Brad Abbey (Raiders) and Jamayne Isaako (Broncos) are young fullbacks who have tasted NRL footy, while Steven Marsters (Dragons) and Hayze Perham (Warriors) are youngsters who are likely to emerge in the coming years. The Warriors also have Lee Turner on their books, who linked up with the Warriors after a stint in Sydney with the Rabbioths.

If you want to go super deep; Konrad Tu'ua (Kelston Boys) was the fullback for the 2017 NSST team, Emanuel Gerard-Tuimavave (Akarana) was fullback for NZ U18 Select and Star To'a (St Pauls) was the 1st 13 Fullback of the Year in 2016 and came off the bench for the 2017 NSST team this year.

I reckon Ponga's best position is fullback, but he does get mentioned as a half a lot and Aotearoa's fairly well stocked there also. Te Maire Martin (Cowboys) and Kodi Nikorima (Broncos) are next in line and after playing fullback in 2015 when Martin was in the halves, Isaako then slotted into the halves to partner Ata Hingano (Warriors) in 2016. Hingano and Fa'amanu Brown (Bulldogs) are still eligible for Aotearoa after representing Tonga and Samoa, as is 2017 Junior Kiwis captain Jarome Luai (Panthers), who was in Samoa's RLWC squad.

Chanel Harris-Tavita is coming through at the Warriors and he partnered Luai for the JK this year. Harris-Tavita was often joined by Dylan Tavita in the halves for the Warriors this season and Tavita was named in the halves for NZ U18, joined by Paul Turner - Lee's brother. Warriors fans should definitely take note of that as the two starting halves for NZ U18 this year are with the Warriors, Harris-Tavita was the Junior Kiwis halfback and Lee Turner earned Taurahere selection while he was with the Rabbitohs.

Perham has also featured in numerous teams in the halves, while Zae Wallace went from Westlake Boys to Gold Coast Titans after impressive performances in men's footy for Mt Albert and Akarana made schoolboy footy a breeze for him. Joseph Taipari was snapped up from Christchurch Boys by Parramatta Eels and featured in the havles for Parramatta's SG Ball team, he was then named on the bench for NZ U18.

And yo; I definitely missed a few fullbacks and halves. Aotearoa is producing immense quality at the Warriors and every NRL club in Australia, so while the news of Ponga wanting to play for Queensland might make you sad when you think about how crappy David Kidwell's Kiwis team was at RLWC, stay woke.

The #KiwiNRL takeover is taking place.

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Peace and love 27.