#KiwiNRL Gold Coast Titans Gotta Hit Up Aotearoa
Just you and super toko Koni.
While many kiwis get their knickers in a twist about the horrible predicament that Aotearoa Warriors seem to find themselves in each season, an immediate dose of context is provided when pondering the Gold Coast Titans. There are a few other clubs that offer such context for the Warriors, whether it's financial stability or on the field and while the Warriors have been able to maintain a fringe top-eight spot, Gold Coast have done the same, only near the bottom of the NRL ladder.
There's a ho-hum nature to the Titan, which didn't blunt my intrigue about them as they've held on to a funky #KiwiNRL presence during the past few seasons. This was led by the tokos Agnatius Paasi and Leivaha Pulu, both of whom earned their NRL stripes at the Titans and this led to the Warriors signing both of them for next season. Paasi did make his NRL debut for the Warriors, although when Paasi and Pulu started their GC journeys, they definitely weren't certified NRL forwards, which is exactly what they became at the Titans.
Such development led to the Warriors signing them and it was a similar situation for Nathaniel Peteru and Paterika Vaivai. Peteru left the Warriors in search of an opportunity and got that with the Titans. Peteru didn't exactly blossom at GC, he did do enough to earn a deal with Leeds Rhinos in the Super League and the same goes for Vaivai as he's been snapped up by Leigh Centurions.
The uso Vaivai spent time with the Warriors as a youngster and then found himself in a spot of bother with some off-field dramas at Newcastle Knights. As Vaivai made the right steps to get his life back on track, he joined the Titans through Burleigh Bears and having put himself in the shop window at the Titans, Vaivai cashed in on a SL offer.
While this has led to four #KiwiNRL toko/uso, leaving the Titans and thus leaving GC with just Kevin Proctor and super-toko Konrad Hurrell, GC deserve a shout out. Those four lads got improved as players and people, taking an opportunity at GC and flipping it into a new, favourable deal elsewhere; Peteru and Vaivai took bigger deals in SL, Paasi and Pulu took deals to return to friends and whanau in Auckland.
Hurrell can be mentioned in that bracket as well given that his career and life had stalled in Auckland and a move out of his comfort zone was needed. Given the evidence on display in Paasi, Pulu, Peteru and Vaivai, it's definitely no coincidence that Hurrell has taken his own career to greater heights at GC Titans and he's not only a key weapon on the field, Hurrell has established himself as the type of personality that clubs can build their vibe and corporate stuff from.
For those wondering, there will be a Koni Files coming in the next week or so outlining his RLWC.
Now the Titans only have Proctor as a true-blue #KiwiNRL presence and my Koni fandom will always have me following him closely. Other NRL clubs are stacking their rosters with kiwis, either in the NRL squad or amping up their recruitment of schoolboy league and union lads who then make the move across the ditch. Not only have GC lost a hefty #KiwiNRL toko/uso presence, ahead of the 2017 season they also lost arguably the most exciting #KiwiNRL outside back prospect at the moment in Greg Leleisiuao who moved to Parramatta Eels.
Since the 2010 Junior Test, GC have had three players named in the Junior Kiwis; Leileisiuao and Kurt Bernard in 2016 and Moeaki Fotuaika this year. Bernard joined GC from Melbourne Storm only to retire in July this year as he returned to Aotearoa to pursue a career with the police, while Fotuaika appears to be GC's brightest #KiwiNRL prospect having featured heavily for their Under 20s team this year. Fotuaika was even on the brink of earning an NRL sniff late this season, but at 17-years-old he was too young to feature in an NRL squad.
Under new coach Garth Brennan, GC have been zoning in on fringe NRL players in need of an opportunity, although that's not a new ploy for GC. What Brennan will usher in is greater focus on developing talent for sustained success and as Brennan was previously with Penrith Panthers, he knows exactly how beneficial snapping up young #KiwiNRL talent can be.
Not only do Penrith have a great junior set up and have consistently recruited slick young kiwis, they targeted a specific area of Aotearoa in linking with Northland Rugby League. This saw James Fisher-Harris and Corey Harawira-Naera join Penrith and develop into NRL forwards, while Caleb Aekins did enough in Penrith's Under 20s team to get a look into Wales wider RLWC squad.
Brennan would have seen this and played a role in the development in these players, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see GC not only look to get more young kiwis over from Aotearoa, but more importantly establishing a strong connection with an area, school or club in Aotearoa.
Having made a point of long-term success, Brennan understands that GC needs to establish production line of young players and he's got first-hand experience of that at Penrith. That Penrith production line/academy had and still has a heavy kiwi influence, meaning that Brennan is best-equipped to build a #KiwiNRL presence within GC Titans.
It's not too crazy to suggest that in Brennan's interview for the coaching gig he outlined his plan to build a talent highway between GC and Aotearoa. That's what he knows from his time at Penrith and given GC lack what a lot of NRL clubs are doing, it'd be a wise move.
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Peace and love 27.