#KiwiNRL Encyclopedia: Round 19
Uncle Bennett better not be playing any selection tricks with Jamayne.
Warriors vs Panthers
The 13
Warriors: All but Blake Ayshford, Jacob Lillyman.
Panthers: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Corey Harawira-Naera.
Bench
Warriors: Errrrrbody
Panthers: Sione Katoa, James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota, Sitaleki Akauola.
Doc's Word
James Fisher-Harris and Corey Harawira-Naera will be returning to Aotearoa and with Fisher-Harris back up in the mix, expect these two to go bonkers in from of whanau and friends. I'm still intrigued by how Fisher-Harris fits in though as Harawira-Naera and Isaah Yeo are rolling through 80 minutes on either edge, then you have Leilani Latu and Tim Brown doing a decent job through the middle. Fisher-Harris can play edge or middle and he's taken Sitaleki Akauola's bench spot; Akauola only played 8mins last week though.
I broke the funk down around Sione Katoa and keep tabs on when Katoa enters the arena and how many minutes he gets. Mitch Rein is the numero uno dummy half and should get at least 40 minutes, so Katoa's got to pounce on whatever game time he's given and we'll get first-hand vision of how Katoa could leap-frog Rein and Peter Wallace in the future.
Raiders vs Dragons
The 13
Raiders: Jordan Rapana, Iosia Soliola.
Dragons: Jason Nightingale, Taane Milne, Russell Packer, Leeson Ah Mau.
Bench
Raiders: Joseph Tapine, Erin Clark.
Dragons: Haters.
Doc's Word
Taane Milne was one unluggy uce only a few weeks ago as he was chillin' on the sidelines thanks to too much centre depth at the Dragons. Now with Euan Aitken out injured - just after returning from injury - Milne is gifted a starting spot and as we near Finals footy, Milne will be eager to flex, putting pressure on the Dragons starters.
El Wildcard will tell ya that the Dragons have been struggling without Paul Vaughan and that doesn't reflect all that well on the Russell Packer/Leeson Ah Mau starting combination. Last year these two were the starting duo and they couldn't offer much punch through the middle, so if Vaughan's fit to go, expect him to step in asap. Vaughan might not start this game as he's named on the extended bench, but Ah Mau's better used coming off the bench as his footwork is dangerous for fatigued defenders. This could be Packer/Ah Mau's last chance to state their starting case.
Erin Clark huh? Clark moved from the Warriors to take up an opportunity with the Raiders and Clark's ability to play in the halves and hooker is an asset to Canberra at this stage, especially as they require a prospect to keep the established lads on their toes. I doubt we'll see Clark soon, he's in the mix though.
Knights vs Broncos
The 13
Knights: Danny Levi.
Broncos: Jordan Kahu, Jamayne Isaako, Benji Marshall Adam Blair.
Bench
Knights: Haters.
Broncos: Alex Glenn, Kodi Nikorima.
Doc's Word
All about Christchurch's Jamayne Isaako. Isaako joins Fa'amanu Brown and Matt McIlwrick as Canterbury's #KiwiNRL young guns and after moving up to Brisbane from Cronulla, Isaako has apparently been tearing it up for the Broncos-aligned Souths Logan Magpies. Isaako is capable of playing any backline position and he played in the halves for the Junior Kiwis, while most recently he's been playing fullback for the Magpies. He won't need to worry about kicking goals though as Jordan Kahu's got that sorted, keep an eye on his involvement and what makes his carries unique.
We know Wayne Bennett will ask Isaako to stay busy off his wing, but what makes Isaako such a dangerous runner of the footy? He won't be able to show off his fullback/half skills and will have to play his role, so this will be a great insight into the foundations from which Isaako can build a long #KiwiNRL career from.
Titans vs Sharks
The 13
Titans: Konrad Hurrell, Kevin Proctor.
Sharks: Sosaia Feki, Gerard Beale, Fa'amanu Brown.
Bench
Titans: Agnatius Paasi, Nathaniel Peteru, Leivaha Pulu.
Sharks: Sam Tagataese.
Doc's Word
Canterbury league fans better be paying attention this week as Isaako's named to start on the wing and Fa'amanu Brown will get another run at hooker for Cronulla. There's no dummy half replacement named of Cronulla's bench either, well James Segeyaro and Joseph Paulo have been named on the extended bench so Segeyaro could be a sneaky late inclusion. I don't think Brown will have to worry about doing too much however as Cronulla's New South Wales players will be eager to dominate this game and Brown's role will mainly revolve around serving the footy to the right blokes at the right time.
The form of Gold Coast forward Morgan Boyle isn't ideal from a #KiwiNRL perspective as we've got a glimmer of hope that Leivaha Pulu steps on to the Titans bench, joining forces with Agnatius Paasi and Nathaniel Peteru. Pulu has recovered swiftly from illness and I pray to the gods that we see Pulu/Paasi/Peteru unleashed some time this season.
Sea Eagles vs Tigers
The 13
Sea Eagles: Martin Taupau.
Tigers: Esan Marsters, Tuimoala Lolohea, Ava Seumanufagai, Elijah Taylor.
Bench
Sea Eagles: Addin Fonua-Blake.
Tigers: Michael Chee-Kam, Matt McIlwrick, Malakai Watene-Zelezniak.
Doc's Word
Matt McIlwrick has given up his starting spot to Jacob Liddle, but he's still there doing his thing for Christchurch with the Tigers. Watching Tuimoala Lolohea is always fun, Esan Marsters is a top-tier #KiwiNRL prospect and Elijah Taylor's gonna have a funky night trying to chop down Martin Taupau and Jake Trbojevic, but I'm always interested in Ava Seumanufagai's work against impressive forward packs.
In his last outing against Newcastle, Semanufagai had 40mins with 11 carries for 107m and 18 tackles which is about par for his course. That's against Newcastle though and Manly's forward pack is a log more dynamic, skillful and powerful so this will be an interesting challenge for the Wainuiomata junior, especially with the likes of Alex Twal and Mathew Eisenhuth snapping at his heels; they need to impress with Seumanufagai and Aaron Woods gapping and a few big name props coming in.
Rabbitohs vs Cowboys
The 13
Rabbitohs: Bryson Goodwin.
Cowboys: Antonio Winterstein, Te Maire Marin, Jason Taumalolo.
Bench
Rabbitohs: Zane Musgrove.
Cowboys: Kalyn Ponga, Braden Uele.
Doc's Word
I've got a vivid memory of the Cowboys absolutely steam-rolling the Rabbitohs last year, or the year before thanks to their power through the middle third. This sticks out in my mind not only because of how ruthless the dismantling was, but also because it blew away the perception of the Rabbitohs forward pack; they can't hang with footwork and power.
This effectively boils down to Jason Taumalolo vs Burgess bros. Taumalolo tends to win that battle and I think this will once again be the case as Thomas and Sam Burgess will start, along with David Tyrrell. Taumalolo could torment Tyrrell and Thomas Burgess, cutting back on their inside shoulders and severely testing their mobility.
Taumalolo plays big minutes, so he'll come up against Jason Clark, Zane Musgrove and George Burgess as well. There's a bit more mobility on that Rabbitohs bench but not a whole lot and I suspect we're going to see Taumalolo go well above 20 carries/200m; his last outing produced 18c/190m from just 50 minutes.
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