#KiwiNRL Glenn + Harawira-Naera Re-Sign, SKD To Newcastle
Why leave the Broncos?
#KiwiNRL re-signings seem to come in clusters and yesterday we had confirmation that Alex Glenn will stay with Brisbane Broncos along with Corey Harawira-Naera staying with Penrith Panthers. Newcastle Knights also confirmed that they had signed Shaun Kenny-Dowall, although that's slightly less exciting.
Newcastle x SKD isn't less exciting because of Kenny-Dowall's dramas. The Knights have money to spend but are in a spot where they aren't competing for the Premiership and while they can throw money at players, we've seen players reject that money for a better 'fit'. Kenny-Dowall didn't have a whole lot of leverage given that he's been in some mischief and it effectively came down to joining the Knights or heading to England.
There's plenty Kenny-Dowall can offer the Knights and as he tries to move forward from his mischief, he can now help lead a young Knights backline. Dane Gagai's off to the Rabbitohs next season so there will be a vacant centre spot for Kenny-Dowall and there's also great value in Kenny-Dowall as he can swap between centre and wing with ease. Most importantly he won't kick up a fuss if he's gotta fill in on the wing one week either, he'll simply do what is asked of him from coach Nathan Brown.
Chuck in the arrival of the cuzzy Kalyn Ponga and Kenny-Dowall's experience out on the edges will help Ponga settle in at fullback for Newcastle.
Fellow cuzzies Glenn and Harawira-Naera are both edge forwards, although both will be looking to establish themselves as certain starters this season. Glenn's versatility holds him back from nailing down an edge spot for Brisbane, that and the presence of Sam Thaiday and Matt Gillett. This can't be viewed as a negative though with Glenn spending time playing through the middle this season, while also filling a hole when it arises out on an edge.
2,569 Likes, 33 Comments - Alex Glenn (@alexglenn__) on Instagram: "M I L L E R K N O W S 💥// Thanks uncle @jordan.kahu for my AB gears #Allblacks #gameday"
'Versatile utility' carries negative connotations but Glenn is a great example of how crucial a player who is capable of playing every position is. I also doubt that Glenn would have been super expensive and (this is where I'd love to insert insightful NBA-salary cap discussion in here) I suspect Glenn would have turned down better money from other clubs to stay with Brisbane.
Playing under Wayne Bennett would influence that and Bennett surely understands how valuable Glenn is to the Broncos. More influential to Glenn staying is the pull of the Broncos and players tend to stay with the Broncos as it's cheaper to live in Brisbane than Sydney, plus there are all sorts of co-curricular benefits that being a Bronco offers. I have many problems with how stupid the NRL salary cap is and this is a minor example of this as Brisbane have the same salary cap as everyone else, yet they also have far more to offer outside of the cap.
This is also why we can expect Jordan Kahu to re-sign with Brisbane Broncos.
Harawira-Naera has proven himself to be a fine prospect for Penrith this season, pouncing at the opportunity given to him by James Fisher-Harris' injuries. Both these lads joined Penrith via the Panthers' connection to Northland Rugby League and came up through the Panthers' Under 20s system, with Fisher-Harris getting the first crack, then injuries opened the door for Harawira-Naera.
I'm not sure if any other NRL club has targeted a specific area of Aotearoa like Penrith have with Northland and this is another example of wise recruitment and development pathways. Every NRL club is hunting for #KiwiNRL prospects, scouting all throughout Aotearoa and I don't doubt that Penrith are looking around Aotearoa; it's a wise move to set up a relationship with a specific area though.
The funk will come when Fisher-Harris returns and Harawira-Naera has also benefited from Bryce Cartwright's injuries/drama. Isaah Yeo holds down a right edge forward spot and if everyone's healthy, Penrith have four talented, young edge forwards to pick from. Harawira-Naera has the current opportunity and it's now up to him to keep Fisher-Harris and Cartwright out of the starting team.
Another sub-plot in all of this is the constant noise about the Warriors being in the mix for #KiwiNRL players. They're apparently chasing Kahu, they were apparently chasing Harawira-Naera and were apparently chasing Nelson Asofa-Solomona (who is expected to re-sign with Melbourne and join forces with Sam Kasiano #ShitTheBed). Not only has Jim Doyle and now Stephen Kearney made a notable move to bring #KiwiNRL players back to Aotearoa, they appear to be amplifying that even further by only really chasing #KiwiNRL lads.
These players are good and should be in demand, so I can't find fault in what the Warriors are doing. What I am cautious of is the 'no one wants to join the Warriors' narrative, which is already false given that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Issac Luke and Tohu Harris left clubs they were established at to join the Warriors.
Forget about 'not wanting to join the Warriors' and instead think along the lines of 'why would Glenn/Kahu/Harawira-Naera want to leave their current club?' Penrith for example, gave Harawira-Naera his opportunity so he probably felt some loyalty there and the same could apply to Glenn (/Kahu), as well as the pull of the Broncos. Hence I'm cautious about the rumours of the Warriors chasing Kahu and Adam Blair; assuming Bennett wants them, why would they leave?
There's so much #KiwiNRL talent in the NRL and there's going to be even more, so just enjoy the fact that the #KiwiNRL takeover is live and in full effect. The #KiwiNRL is so much more than the Warriors.
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