#KiwiNRL Round 21 Notebook
Cronk who?
The 2018 NRL season is rounding the last corner into Finals footy and there is not only a heavy #KiwiNRL presence in among the NRL's best teams, those teams desperate to crack the top-8 also have plenty of #KiwiNRL funk in them. This week in the #KiwiNRL Notebook, I'm going to roll through every NRL team and offer a quick blurb as to why you should support them or what to watch out for in these last few games from a #KiwiNRL perspective. Even those wooden spoon hunters have some #KiwiNRL offerings.
Parramatta Eels - 16th
Not much doing with the Eels and not a whole lot of high quality #KiwiNRL substance here. Former junior Warrior Marata Niukore has worked his way into the starting side as an edge forward and is getting valuable NRL minutes; he's big, mobile and skillful. Not too many bright spots for Parramatta this season but the emergence of Niukore is definitely one of them, along with Mangere East Hawks junior Peni Terepo who runs like Jason Taumalolo and also has a slick passing game. We may see exciting #KiwiNRL wing prospect Greg Leleisiuao sneak in an NRL debut in the last few games as he's been named on the extended bench for a couple weeks now.
North Queensland Cowboys - 15th
Jason Taumalolo is always fun to watch when he's running over blokes and the Papakura Sea Eagles/Otahuhu Leopards junior has to be in rampant form if the Cowboys are to send Jonathan Thurston out on a high. Te Maire Martin has settled into the fullback position and given that he's a current Kiwis half, a contender to partner Shaun Johnson for Aotearoa his form at fullback may positively or negatively impact his Kiwis hopes.
Manly Sea Eagles - 14th
Manly's run home is all about Manase Fainu for me and how he goes with more NRL experience. Fainu was a 2017 Junior Kiwi and veteran of the NZRL's Taurahere program, while also being Tongan so he's eligible for Tonga as well and we've already seen how dynamic Fainu is running the footy out of dummy half. There is plenty #KiwiNRL dummy half depth (Issac Luke, Slade Griffin, Danny Levi, Brandon Smith, Siliva Havili, Sione Katoa) and Fainu's potential is on par with any of those lads.
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs - 13th
With Kieran Foran set to return to footy next year, Jeremy Marshall-King is playing for a spot in the top-17. The emergence of Lachlan Lewis makes in unlikely that Marshall-King will partner Foran next year, so Marshall-King has to finish the season strong and demand further selection. The Bulldogs have unleashed Reimis Smith (Mascot-Sydney) and Ofahiki Ogden (Mangere East) this season and both have been infuential in a sneaky good Bulldogs team recently.
Gold Coast Titans - 12th
Home of one of the best young #KiwiNRL forwards Moeaki Fotuaika. A 2017 JK, Fotuaika was named in the Tongan squad earlier this year and the prospect of Fotuaika joining that Tongan forward pack has me frothing. Kevin Proctor goes about his solidly, but Fotuaika is the one to watch for the Titans.
Newcastle Knights - 11th
Danny Levi has benefited from a season-ending knee injury to Slade Griffin, giving Levi plenty of game time at hooker. I don't think the Knights will make Finals footy, but Levi and Herman Ese'ese will be especially keen to keep themselves in Kiwis contention; Levi's fallen off the radar and Ese'ese will want another taste. Heck, even Shaun Kenny-Dowall might get back in the mix.
Canberra Raiders - 10th
Also drifting out of top-8 contention, the Raiders have a few interesting #KiwiNRL sub-plots. Brad Abbey is getting NRL minutes on the wing and Siliva Havili is doing a job as a middle forward; I won't tire of watching Havili return a kick-off as he did against Penrith Panthers. Abbey and Havili are both getting in where they fit in and have done enough this season to take their opportunities, demanding further selection.
Joseph Tapine was once again immense last weekend in the loss to Penrith and with Tohu Harris out injured, Tapine is currently the best Kiwis edge forward. Canberra have Abbey and Havili who are doing a job, doing anything for NRL minutes and then they also have the top-tier #KiwiNRL jokers in Tapine and Jordan Rapana, both of whom are from Wellington and both of whom are ballers.
Wests Tigers - 9th
Wests Tigers is a great team to support right now if you're a neutral as they have a mighty #KiwiNRL crew and are the underdogs who are trying to sneak into the top-8. They grabbed an important win at Newcastle last weekend and with Robbie Farah and Moses Mbye joining the Tigers, they have the class to be a genuine chance of Finals footy. Ben Matulino, Russell Packer, Elijah Taylor, Michael Chee Kam, Esan Marsters and Benji Marshall feature consistently and there is plenty of diversity in that group to satisfy all your #KiwiNRL needs.
The two younger blokes in Chee Kam (Mt Wellington Warriors) and Marsters (Mt Albert Lions) are the low key players to watch out for. Marsters has had a breakout season and is a monster at centre with his footwork, power and offloading ability making him a nightmare to defend, while Chee Kam's settled into an edge forward role and he offers the same package as Marsters.
Aotearoa Warriors - 8th
From the #KiwiNRL perspective, I've consistently highlighted the lack of Aussies in this Warriors team/squad for 2018. Blake Green has been the lone Aussie, sometimes Karl Lawton has joined him to make it two Australians, but unless there is an injury it will be Green who finishes the season holding it down for Dingo-land. If the Warriors make Finals footy, with one Aussie in their team, that'll be a pretty awesome.
Brisbane Broncos - 7th
The Broncos have a fairly solid group of Jamayne Isaako, Jordan Kahu, Kodi Nikorima and Alex Glenn who all start most weeks. Given that Isaako and Nikorima are from Christchurch and Kahu's from Wellington, there is a great representation of kiwi rugby league here. On top of that, all four will be eager to push for Kiwis selection later this year.
Isaako made his Kiwis debut on the wing in Denver and has recently been playing fullback for Brisbane, but coach Wayne Bennett did shift things around late in last weekend's loss to the Bulldogs. The form of Nikorima will have a huge impact on how the Broncs finish the season as they will need both Nikorima and Anthony Milford at their best to trouble the better teams. Also, keep a close eye on Glenn who has steadily been a force on the edge for Brisbane and is a contender for a Kiwis edge spot.
Cronulla Sharks - 6th
Sione Katoa is the only steady #KiwiNRL presence in this Sharks team, with Sosaia Feki falling behind Josh Dugan and Edrick Lee, as well as Wellington's Ava Seumanufagai losing his spot to Aaron Woods. Katoa is a fun wing prospect, but don't buzz about Cronulla too much as there are better #KiwiNRL options around.
Penrith Panthers - 5th
Perhaps the most entertaining team in the NRL, Penrith are flush with #KiwiNRL intrigue. There is the Northland duo of James Fisher-Harris and Corey Harawira-Naera who should make the Panthers a must-watch team for anyone north of Auckland. Fisher-Harris has found a home in the middle for Penrith and plays with aggression and energy, which should see him quickly establish himself as a Kiwis regular.
Then there is Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Dean Whare and Sione Katoa who continue to impress. Watene-Zelezniak has shifted back to the wing recently after a stint at fullback where he did a fine job. Katoa is a Tongan international from Wellington (Randwick Kingfishers/Upper Hutt Tigers) who benefited from an injury to Peter Wallace and then Wallace's retirement; Katoa was behind Wallace to start the season and is now an 80min NRL hooker.
St George Illawara Dragons - 4th
Warriors fans will be keeping a close eye on Leeson Ah Mau's form to finish the season as Ah Mau has signed on to move back to Auckland next season and offers a major point of difference in this Dragons forward pack. His footwork and offloading will be of greater importance as the Dragons try an fight out of this plateau they've reached, then into the Finals.
Another Wellingtonian Jordan Pereira has emerged to give the Dragons two #KiwiNRL wingers in recent weeks, joining Jason Nightingale. Pereira is a powerful winger who will likely make way for Nene MacDonald's return from injury at some stage, but if MacDonald can't return then Pereira's work in the climax of the season will be fun to watch.
Sydney Roosters - 3rd
Although there is immense firepower in this Roosters forward pack with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Isaac Liu and Zane Tetevano all doing a fantastic job each week up the guts, I'm most interested in Joseph Manu's work at right centre. I love watching Taukeiaho (Otara Scorpions) play through the middle and Liu's (Otahuhu Leopards) recent shift to the edge has been intriguing with his late footwork at the line useful in any position.
That's reason enough for a few bandwagon fans to jump on board, but with Tetevano and Manu both hailing from the Cook Islands' 16th star Tokoroa, there should be a hearty fanbase from the Waikato on the Roosters wagon. Manu's form this season warrants a closer Kiwis inspection and he has been almost as much of a threat as Latrell Mitchell on the other edge. Supremely talented with his footwork and a splash of skill could see Manu genuinely break the shackles through the Finals and push for Kiwis selection.
Melbourne Storm - 2nd
Jesse Bromwich and Nelson Asofa-Solomona start as the propping duo. Watching these two is mandatory viewing for me and we are likely to see them paired up again for the Kiwis, which would be a massive boost to Aotearoa's middle stocks. Kenny Bromwich can't be slept on either and while he's not as big as Jesse or Asofa-Solomona, he's a powerful runner with excessively nimble feet and a delightful passing game; look for Kenny to hit Jesse with short passes in the middle as we move into Finals footy.
That trio of forwards has played a huge role in Melbourne still being a force in the NRL despite Cooper Cronk's departure and losing so many players to Origin. While Jahrome Hughes (another Wellington product - Harbour City Eagles) wasn't quite in the starting picture early in the season, Hughes' form at fullback and in the halves when given an opportunity has seen him given the halfback role. It looks as though coach Craig Bellamy will continue with Billy Slater, Cameron Munster, Hughes and Cameron Smith in the spine, which adds a serious dose of intrigue as Hughes now appears likely to play a key role in the Storm's push for another Premiership.
South Sydney Rabbitohs - 1st
Don't even bother with the Rabbitohs, no #KiwiNRL funk, no love.
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Peace and love 27.