#KiwiNRL Encyclopedia: Round 21
Kiwis bolter?
Warriors vs Sharks
The 13
Warriors: All but Blake Ayshford, Jacob Lillyman.
Sharks: Sosaia Feki, Gerard Beale, Fa'amanu Brown.
Bench
Warriors: All da boyz.
Sharks: Haters.
Doc's Word
After doing a decent job starting at hooker, Fa'amanu Brown slots into the halves to partner Chad Townsend and James Segeyaro starts at hooker. There's plenty of noise surrounding James Maloney's future, but as Brown is off to the Bulldogs next season, Cronulla fans won't be enjoying a glimpse at a possible future halves combo.
Sosaia Feki returns to Auckland and Mt Smart, where enjoyed success as a centre for the Junior Warriors. Feki never really stood out back then, he was just super solid in doing his job and while I'll have a very close eye on Feki in this game, don't expect him to put in a rampant performance. Feki offers strong carries and try-scoring, he does his job to a high level and you'll have to pay attention to note his contributions.
Eels vs Broncos
The 13
Eels: Brad Takairangi, Manu Ma'u.
Broncos: Jordan Kahu, Adam Blair, Alex Glenn.
Bench
Eels: Kenny Edwards, Suaia Matagi, Peni Terepo.
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Broncos: Benji Marshall, Herman Ese'ese, Jamayne Isaako.
Doc's Word
After Shaun Johnson's injury, I highlighted how Wayne Bennett held the keys to the Kiwis halves wagon and he's already flexing his influence. Despite hailing Kodi Nikorima as Brisbane's future halfback, Benji Marshall appears to be ahead of Nikorima in the bench utility stakes, meaning Marshall's getting the opportunity to impress. I still reckon Nikorima will be the #1 bench utility option for the Kiwis and Uncle Bennett is setting up Marshall to state his case over Te Maire Martin.
Manu Ma'u and Alex Glenn are both likely to feature in the World Cup squad, although neither is likely to make a top-17. They're both strong edge forwards and while they'll be on opposite edges in this game, it'll be an interesting gauge to see who offers more and this could determine whether Ma'u or Glenn is next in line behind Tohu Harris and Simon Mannering.
Knights vs Dragons
The 13
Knights: Shaun Kenny-Dowall.
Dragons: Jason Nightingale, Leeson Ah Mau.
Bench
Knights: Danny Levi.
Dragons: Russell Packer, Taane Milne.
Doc's Word
Danny Levi slides back to the bench where he'll look to add some spark to Newcastle's play late in the half and unlike Nikorima, Levi is actually playing NRL footy. That's a perfect opportunity to show David Kidwell why Levi should feature int he World Cup squad and could provide Levi with a sniff of that bench utility spot. Russell Packer's also on the bench, for the Dragons though and this is also a lovely opportunity for Packer to play a specific role that is most likely going to be his opening into the Kiwis World Cup team.
Rabbitohs vs Raiders
The 13
Rabbitohs: Bryson Goodwin.
Raiders: Joseph Tapine.
Bench
Rabbitohs: Zane Musgrove.
Raiders: Jeff Lima, Erin Clark.
Doc's Word
Ricky Stuart switched things up last minute before the game against Melbourne, here's hoping he keeps Joseph Tapine on the edge for Canberra this week. Tapine takes advantage of Sia Soliola's suspension, which could see Tapine start on the edge for a crucial few weeks for the Raiders as they chase a top-eight spot. There's a chance that Tapine's size out on the edge gives Canberra a different threat and as I noted last week; watch for Tapine to skip to the outside and offload.
Roosters vs Cowboys
The 13
Roosters: Joseph Manu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Isaac Liu.
Cowboys: Antonio Winterstein, Te Maire Martin, Jason Taumalolo.
Bench
Roosters: Sio Siua Taukeiaho.
Cowboys: Braden Uele, Kalyn Ponga.
Doc's Word
Mandatory note to pay attention to Te Maire Martin as he's the only other Kiwis halves candidate who is actually starting in the halves and with more game time, Martin will take on more responsibility with the Cowboys.
Such is the ability of Jason Taumalolo, he can legit take on three middle forwards in an intriguing #KiwiNRL match up and against the Roosters trio of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Isaac Liu and Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Taumalolo is the only one guaranteed a Kiwis World Cup spot. The Roosters trio are all in the frame, I'm especially interested in Waerea-Hargreaves and what he can offer as a like-for-life replacement for Jesse Bromwich. How Waerea-Hargreaves goes against a far more mobile and dynamic Taumalolo will give us a nice insight into his Kiwis credentials.
In pondering the Kiwis centre predicament, I kinda overlooked Joseph Manu due to his inexperience. The more I think about it though, the more I like it. I've been a huge Manu fan since he stepped into the NRL and he's enjoyed consistent game time at centre this season which is a boost for his chances. He'll be lacing up against Kane Linnett and that's a fairly unique challenge in that Linnett is more physical than a lot of centres, so Manu will need to be aggressive on defence and 'muscle up' because Linnett isn't going to try step and glide past Manu.
That's what Manu's going to do though and how effective it is against Linnett is the challenge. Also coming down Manu's edge will be Martin and Lachlan Coote, who will both test Manu's defensive reads and challenge his decision making. The Kiwis need a genuine centre and this test for Manu is going to tell us a lot about whether Manu could make such a swift level-up; he's already caught the eye by doing his job in a strong Roosters team.
Storm vs Sea Eagles
The 13
Storm: Jesse Bromwich.
Sea Eagles: Martin Taupau.
Bench
Storm: Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Kenny Bromwich, Jahrome Hughes.
Sea Eagles: Addin Fonua-Blake, Lewis Brown.
Doc's Word
Melbourne have the Queensland No.6 in their squad and a gun #KiwiNRL fullback sniffing around for an opportunity, so I'm wondering why Ryley Jacks starts in the halves with Cameron Munster at fullback while our cuzzie Jahrome Hughes is named on an extended bench. That's just purely me and my #KiwiNRL bias coming into things as I would love to see Hughes at fullback along with those Origin players in the spine and until the game starts, I'll still hold out hope that Craig Bellamy drops a last minute change as he's been known to do.
Te Maire Martin is mandatory viewing with the World Cup lurking and the same goes for Nelson Asofa-Solomona. This week Asofa-Solomona will come up against a reasonably brutal Manly forward pack who will have clear instructions to limit Asofa-Solomona's effectiveness ... aka get all up in his face. Manly have the firepower to do so with Martin Taupau, Lloyd Perrett, Addin Fonua-Blake and Darcy Lussick, so how Asofa-Solomona responds and performs against a strong pack will make for exciting viewing.
Titans vs Tigers
The 13
Titans: Kevin Proctor.
Tigers: Esan Marsters, Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Tuimoala Lolohea, Elijah Taylor.
Bench
Titans: Leivaha Pulu, Nathaniel Peteru, Agnatius Paasi.
Tigers: Michael Chee-Kam, Ava Seumanufagai, Josh Aloiai.
Doc's Word
What do we have here aye? Elijah Taylor slides to the edge with Uncle Ivan bringing in Mathew Eisenhuth to start at lock, a move I actually like. The emergence of Eisenhuth and Alex Twal over the past few months has given the Tigers a more mobile and gritty middle presence, while Taylor's skill and defensive nous could be more beneficial to the Tigers on an edge. Look for Taylor to still do some nifty ball-playing, it'll just be more threatening as he'll be forcing decisions from defenders and I suspect he'll defend on the left where he'll be protecting Luke Brooks from the hard lines of Kevin Proctor.
As I highlighted Manu as a possible World Cup sneaky-selection, I won't go as far as putting Esan Marsters in that category. I will however tell y'all that in the future, a Kiwis centre pairing of Manu and Marsters sounds absolutely delightful.
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