Fresh off of an NRL Grand Final featuring a gang of kiwi lads, Aotearoa Kiwis coach Michael Maguire has named his squad for the spring international window. As expected, this squad is rather different to the squad that went to Denver and while there is some low key hype around the return of a few Kiwis veterans, this was always going to be the case given the unique circumstances around the Denver Test.

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In a mark of Aotearoa's rugby league depth, the spring internationals won't feature Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Tohu Harris, Issac Luke, Dean Whare and Nelson Asofa-Solomona all of whom would have been certainties for the top-17. Despite those absences, this is still an extremely nifty Kiwis squad and the abundance of depth, most notably in the young brigade coming through is ready to be ushered into international footy.

The new faces in this Kiwis squad are Corey Harawira-Naera, Jahrome Hughes, Joseph Manu, Brandon Smith and Isaiah Papali'i. Although Manu is the start of that group having been a sublime two-way centre for Sydney Roosters in their run to an NRL Premiership, the major winner here is Jahrome Hughes, who appears to have won selection ahead of Te Maire Martin as a halves contender.

Hughes can also play fullback and offers depth in both spine positions, making him a handy player to have on tour. It's worth noting that Martin played fullback, halves and dummy half for North Queensland Cowboys this season, meaning that coach Maguire instead prefers Hughes in that versatile spine squad position.

Harawira-Naera and Papali'i will offer edge forward depth, likely to be competing with OG Kevin Proctor for one of the edge spots. Joseph Tapine is Aotearoa's second best edge forward behind Tohu Harris, so he's locked in to start in a top-17, while Maguire's decision around whether to roll with the steady option of Proctor or give a youngster a crack will be one of the funkier narratives during this window for Aotearoa.

Once you peel back the unavailabilities, it's super duper logical for Maguire to selection five squad debutants;

Harris is unavailable, so Harawira-Naera and Papali'i get a shot.

Luke is unavailable, so Smith gets a shot.

Whare is unavailable, so Manu gets a shot.

Tuivasa-Sheck and Kieran Foran are unavailable, so Hughes gets a shot.

With so many youngsters coming into the mix this year, keep in mind that there is still a Kiwis hierarchy and as exciting as it is to welcome the next wave, we simply haven't seen a full strength Kiwis team for over a year. This is obviously fantastic and again, it's a sign of the depth coming out of Aotearoa.

Here's the competition for selection in respective positions...

Fullback

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Jahrome Hughes.

Wings

Jordan Rapana, Jamayne Isaako, Ken Maumalo, Gerard Beale.

Centres

Esan Marsters, Joseph Manu, Gerard Beale.

Halves

Shaun Johnson, Kodi Nikorima, Jahrome Hughes.

Middles

Jesse Bromwich, Adam Blair, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Martin Taupau, Kenny Bromwich, Leeson Ah Mau, Isaac Liu.

Edges

Joseph Tapine, Kevin Proctor, Corey Harawira-Naera, Isaac Liu, Isaiah Papali'i.

Hooker

Brandon Smith

Yeah, one hooker. Danny Levi was in the wider squad and as Smith hasn't started too many NRL games at hooker, it's a weird move from Maguire. This could perhaps lead to Nikorima coming off the bench, with Hughes starting alongside Johnson or there are other options such as Kenny Bromwich who could cover a variety of positions off the bench and give Smith a spell.

From the team that played in Denver, Peta Hiku, Te Maire Martin, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Herman Ese'ese and Jordan Kahu haven't been selected this time around. Maguire stated that 23 players had been named and another will be added, which will offer another point of intrigue over the next week or so.

What excites me most about this Kiwis squad is the experience that will form the core of the Kiwis and play a major role in helping Maguire establish a culture and environment that reflects Aotearoa rugby league at its best. Sure, there are debutants and guys who are at the start of their Kiwis journey, but there are also seven players with more than 10 caps for Aotearoa; Beale, Blair, Bromwich, Johnson, Proctor, Taupau and Waerea-Hargreaves.

These lads along with the likes of Nikorima, Rapana, Tapine and Watene-Zelezniak who all have between 7-10 caps, are comfortable at this level. This is more about the team environment though and with Maguire eager to rebuild the Kiwis, the integration of the new wave on top of a stable Kiwis foundation is most important. The rugby league community in/from Aotearoa deserves a team that performs at the highest level possible, but most importantly revolves around a team culture that kiwis can buy in to and be a part of.

This starts with more internationals in Aotearoa. As a kiwi rugby league nerd, it's clear that this team may not win consistently right now but as long as we're moving forward and making moves that reflect the talent coming out of Aotearoa, I can appreciate the journey.

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Peace and love 27.