To say that Aotearoa's Kiwis and subsequently New Zealand Rugby League were on top of the rugby league world is true, but weird. Yeah the Kiwis were the No.1 team and NZRL seemed to be matching their premier representative team, this however overlooks how certain stars aligned to gift the Kiwis a few wins over their major rival Australia. 

Aotearoa caught Australia at a time when they were missing crucial players (2014 Four Nations) and enjoyed one-off victories at the end of Tim Sheen's time as coach. It shouldn't come as any surprise that Mal Meninga has completely flipped Australia. Well, maybe it was a surprise just how influential Meninga has been with the Kangaroos and since Meninga took over, Aotearoa has been put back in Australia's shadow. 

Highlighting how far the Kiwis have slid in the past 18 months or so neglects the fact that the Kangaroos are a far different team under Meninga compared to when Sheens was in charge. I don't view this as a case of the Kiwis going backwards, I view it as a case of the Kangaroos being rather unhappy with where they were at and doing everything in their power to reclaim their glory. Shenanigans involving the Kiwis and NZRL, though, reinforce the 'Kiwis going backwards' perception.

And that's the wider issue for kiwi rugby league. The Kiwis and NZRL aren't really helping matters and are only helping the negative perception of which way kiwi rugby league is trending.

Before diving down that hole, it's important to note that kiwi rugby league is in an immensely positive situation. NZRL is doing a sound job in being a steady development presence for kiwi talent here and in Australia. They hold numerous camps (Under 16/18 etc) in Aotearoa to identify and develop talent, the New Zealand Secondary Schools Tournament is reaching a new level every year and then you have Taurahere program which connects players who either grew up in Australia or were taken to Australia by NRL clubs, with their kiwi heritage. 
This is a crazy time for kiwi rugby league, let me make that excessively clear. 

We now have copious amounts of young kiwi rugby league talent being shipped over to Australia by NRL clubs. Australian NRL clubs are not only scouting rugby league tournaments and camps, they are watching 1st XV rugby union and for every four-five rugby league kids who head across the ditch, there's a kid who impressed playing schoolboy rugby union and was offered a deal by an NRL club. This is happening now more than ever and it started to get super crazy around the time when we started the Niche Cache, so following this has been a fun journey. 

This is nothing but positive and if you look past the Kiwis or Junior Kiwis (who got smoked by the Junior Kangaroos this year), you'll find NZRL doing a fine job of juggling a landscape that has shifted dramatically in the past five years. This is most evident in how people criticise the Warriors for not picking up the best young talent in Aotearoa, which is foolish and shows how out of touch many people are with the recruitment/development landscape. 

The Warriors can't get a youngster who has already been shipped off to the Bulldogs for example. If the Warriors have all their junior boxes ticked, then they don't need to scope out the best talent in the South Island - after all they can't recruit thousands of kids. We're now at a point where Aotearoa's production line of talent far outweighs what the Warriors can hold and while you can blame the Warriors for not getting the very best out of their talent, you can't blame the Warriors for not picking up Joseph Manu (Roosters scouted him from Tokoroa High) or Joseph Tapine (who Newcastle scouted when he played for Wellington Orcas). 

This also doesn't account for personal preference. If the Warriors offer you a development gig or Melbourne Storm offer you the same, I'd probably lean towards learning from the club that has Cameron Smith as its leader. Simply put; there's way too much kiwi talent and it's fantastic.

NZRL are actually doing a good job of covering their best interests here and as someone who lives this every day, I'm happy with how NZRL are positioned to deal with even more growth in kiwi rugby league. Recent events leave me cautious though and I'm happy with NZRL's future, assuming they can make wise decisions moving forward and they don't have a great track record in that. This falls under their perception umbrella as they continue to battle how people perceive their ability as custodians of the game.

Obviously this starts with the most visible element of NZRL which is the Kiwis. They are knee-deep in an identity crisis on the back of the Anzac Test and haven't handled the situation as seamlessly as you'd hope. Much of this stems from David Kidwell, who has not only failed to extract the best out of a talented team, but he's done a whole lot of weird shit like not talking to any media prior to the Anzac Test. 

Since taking over the Kiwis coaching gig, Kidwell has outlined how he wants top-shelf pride and passion in his players, as well as only dealing with players who match his required pride and passion. This sounds awfully familiar to what Meninga has done with Australia, but there's the width of Australia between the results of Meninga and Kidwell's shared 'pride and passion' mission. I'm not fussed if Aotearoa lose to Australia (Australia have a crop of legends), however we've seen Aotearoa's Kiwis generally suck against Australia under Kidwell. We've also seen them struggle against Scotland, as well as the skipper and a senior player not live up to the values of a Aotearoa representative.

Kidwell's reign as Kiwis coach is currently a shambles and that greatly influences the perception of kiwi rugby league.

Get over the current situation though because Kidwell will be the Kiwis coach for a World Cup that will see the Kiwis return to play in Aotearoa. Yes, it's kinda crazy how shambolic the past six months have been but Kidwell's gonna still be the coach.

That's where I start as I look ahead to how this could pan out. The simple fact that the Kiwis will play in Aotearoa is wonderful. Rugby league is not Auckland-centric (get out of the dark ages yo) and it is rather puzzling that NZRL haven't done everything in their power to get the Kiwis vs Samoa, for example, as an annual series/fixture. Play it in Whangarei, Auckland, Wellington for Christchurch and you'll be laughing to the bank thanks to bumper crowd. But this isn't about money, it's about watching our team play in the flesh, it's about getting the players into the communities that they represent.

Considering how young players are when they move to Australia now and how many of the general Kiwis squad moved to Australia at a young age, we need to view home fixtures as mandatory. How can Aotearoa really get in behind the Kiwis when we rarely see them in our greater community, let alone the country? All the players love to represent Aotearoa, they haven't seen with their own eyes how their performances affect kiwi rugby league fans though.

Many haven't experienced doing a haka in Aotearoa.

You think players would make such poor errors in judgement on and off the field if they saw and felt what representing Aotearoa actually meant to others? 

All the excuses come out and those excuses show how powerless NZRL have been as they've catered to the NRL and Australia Rugby League. I refuse to believe that every possible option has been explored though and by every possible option, I'd start with having a training camp in Aotearoa and inter-squad games that don't require an international opponent. Take the initiative and give Aotearoa their Kiwis back.

The World Cup will see Aotearoa get their Kiwis back and there's every chance that playing in Aotearoa and feeling the buzz, will bring the best out of everyone involved. Having endured the past six months, it's pretty cool that the moment that should change things is a major event like the World Cup. A deal has already been done for an Aotearoa vs England series and I'm 100 percent confident that this will improve dramatically over the next few years; it all starts with a World Cup.

Kidwell doesn't have too many opportunities to provide encouragement before the World Cup. Adam Blair is a sensible choice as skipper and after dwelling on this for a moment, Blair is the sort of player who I'd want to lead Aotearoa on home soil and into what should be a brighter future. Blair's bread and butter is niggle, he's an annoying mofo to play against and last weekend we saw Albert Vete take minor exception with Blair's annoying antics; great! If the skipper of the Kiwis is chasing kickers, putting late shots on, taking tough carries and leaving an elbow leaning up against the attacker's face in the ruck, I'm as happy as Larry.

Bromwich has been the best prop in the game for a couple of years and his quality is indisputable, nor is his leadership which from all accounts is/was a 'lead by example'  style. Blair will lead by example, he also feels like a more natural leader of men, someone who will let their actions do the talking while talking the talk and Blair's mana is evident in how he leads the haka. The spirit of Aotearoa is strong in Blair.

How Kidwell picks his squad will then be as interesting as it is crucial. Kidwell took a youngish group over to England last year and while the squad for the Anzac Test resembled a far strong Kiwis squad, there was still a hint of youth and inexperience. As I wrote here, Bromwich and Kevin Proctor are easily replaced. The return of Tohu Harris as Proctor's replacement will be slept on, just as the Warriors signing of Harris is slept on but he's a future great.

A World Cup is no place to carry young players for the 'experience' and everything needs to be aligned towards winning the World Cup. This is why I want Benji Marshall selected. 

Ideally, Marshall doesn't play a game. Maybe he plays against a weaker opponent to give Kieran Foran or Shaun Johnson the week off and if injury hits Foran or Johnson, Marshall is the veteran half who I want to step in and do that job for that game. Imagine a World Cup semi-final and Johnson's out injured - you wanna chuck Te Maire Martin (currently a reserve grader) or Kodi Nikorima (a bench hooker) in as halfback or you wanna go with Marshall? 

Brisbane signed Marshall solely to step in when required, the same job he'd do for the Kiwis. 
But, ideally we don't see Marshall play. There's value in having Marshall in the squad as he's won a World Cup before and is another veteran in a Kiwis group that has leaned towards youth for the past few years. Marshall would help out in every aspect when not playing and his mana is as great as any other kiwi rugby league player, ever. This is a decision based only on winning the World Cup; if needed he's the best fill-in half and he's a wise head to have around the group.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has also been un-sighted in recent times and while a lack of experienced depth in the halves helps Marshall's case, we've got plenty of big boppers to chose from. I'd like to see Waerea-Hargreaves back in the World Cup mix - assuming he won't get on the Red Bull buzz again - as he'd give the Kiwis a far more grizzly, rugged look about than the looks-good-but-no-substance forward pack we've seen recently. 

Keep a spot on the bench for Nelson Asofa-Solomona or Joseph Tapine, but lean towards a grizzly forward pack the includes; Blair, Waerea-Hargreaves, Russell Packer, Simon Mannering, Tohu Harris, Jason Taumalolo, Martin Taupau and Manu Ma'u. 

Blair, Waerea-Hargreaves and Taumalolo would start through the middle, with Mannering and Harris on either edge. Taupau and Packer would come off the bench, while Ma'u would compete with a youngster and Nikorima would cover hooker. Swap Packer and Waerea-Hargreaves if you want, point being; that's a brutally rugged forward pack.

The last joker - also overlooked for the Anzac Test - is Jason Nightingale. I reckon we have all fell in love with a crop of young wingers that ooze talent and prefer them over a player who has never really put a foot wrong at any level of rugby league. Nightingale can score a tricky try like other wingers can and he never shirks any of the workload through the middle, despite being smaller and less powerful than other wingers. 

A big World Cup game suits Nightingale perfectly, although I wouldn't be mad if one of the 'sexier' names were picked ahead of him. Like Marshall, the benefit of having Nightingale in this squad far out-weighs that of carrying a younger winger as Nightingale is the exact sort of bloke you want to guide the younger squad members. Nightingale puts in the effort every week, that we all would want our national representatives to play with and regardless of how many games he plays, he'll be a valuable member of the squad.

You can argue that these three players won't make a top-17, you can't argue that they will help Aotearoa deal with a World Cup on home soil. Instead of relying on guys like Taumalolo, Johnson, Foran and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck who have experience for sure, there's suddenly a group consisting of Blair, Luke, Mannering, Marshall, Nightingale leading the culture and direction of this team. 

Much of my thoughts are thanks to circumstance:

This World Cup is in Aotearoa and the greater good of kiwi rugby league is on the line. Meaning huge pressure, as well as hype, excitement and plenty of good vibes as well. Dealing with this requires experience and mana.

Younger players haven't taken recent opportunities. I love our young talent, which is why it sucked when those players couldn't beat Scotland and struggled in the Four Nations, or failed in a series against England in the previous year. Leaning on youngsters has only shown what a beast international rugby league is and they haven't demanded future selection.

Kidwell needs all the help he can get. I get the feeling Kidwell thinks he lives on his own planet which clearly isn't working out for him and while it's not ideal to have a coach in such a position ahead of a World Cup, putting respected veterans in this squad would help him out greatly. Whatever Kidwell is doing, isn't working and he needs all the help he can get.

NZRL have rarely filled us with much confidence and this can largely be put down to mistakes in the past, which now amplify their actions. The importance of 2017 for kiwi rugby league is huge and so far we've been treated to slip up after slip up. At this stage we know that there's weird stuff going on with NZRL, just as we know that Kidwell isn't up to standard as a coach of Aotearoa, but we are only halfway through the year and haven't encountered the event or couple of months that will really allow for judgement.

By the end of 2017, we will either have a greater sense of confidence in the direction of kiwi rugby league or we will wonder how Aotearoa can actually benefit from the growing presence of kiwis in the NRL, or NRL systems. Be hopeful as there's no other choice.

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