There aren't any dramas in the first team list served up by Aotearoa Warriors coach Stephen Kearney, only intriguing moves to spice things up with David Fusitu'a and Kodi Nikorima sliding into different poisitions and Eliesa Katoa wiggling into the top-17. The Warriors take on Newcastle Knights tomorrow evening, where they may or may not unleash a funkier style of footy and slicker intent - that's what we have been told.

Coach Kearney and Fusitu'a alluded to a positional switch a few weeks ago and I don't believe this is as complex as it may appear. Fusitu'a and Patrick Herbert have essentially swapped positions and as I reckon Herbert is quicker, more agile that Fusitu'a, this will provide the Warriors speed on the outside to perhaps capitalize on the shifty style of footy they intend to play.

Fusitu'a may offer more play-making at centre as well, think of Fusitu'a landing a fend and carrying the footy in one hand to set up a two vs one. When the Warriors are in good ball, I believe Fusitu'a will simply move out to the wing spot if the kick is going to be directed that wide, with the doosra here being a play with Fusitu'a angles in towards centre with the kick directed to the centre channel.

This is weird because on November 7th, 2016, I wrote 'Fus The Centre' and explored Fusitu'a's future in the centre position. Now, in 2020 we appear to have a permanent move for Fusitu'a and I'm fascinated by the intricacies and nuance of the shift. I'm also excited to see Herbert charging the footy back in kick-return scenarios and this low key gives the Warriors three different bodies and skillsets in their back-three, thus making it a wee bit harder for defences to load up and win those tackles.

Chanel Harris-Tavita starts in the halves alongside Blake Green, bumping Kodi Nikorima to the bench. How you view Nikorima will impact how you perceive this selection from Kearney and since the 2015 season when Nikorima was a massive threat off the bench in the utility position for Brisbane Broncos, I've felt that this role is best suited to Nikorima. Hence, to say that Nikorima has been demoted is very dramatic and I'd suggest this is a case of finding the position that Nikorima (and Harris-Tavita) can be most effective in.

The presence of Karl Lawton on the bench as well, that makes things a bit weird. I wouldn't be surprised to see King Vuniyayawa or Leivaha Pulu promoted from the squad of 22 to the top-17 in Lawton's place, otherwise Nikorima and Lawton are on the bench for similar reasons. This doubles in weirdness as we know that the Warriors are a tad light on middle forwards and the two middle forwards on the bench are debutants.

Ultimately, the narrative of the Warriors playing a more expansive style of footy is beautifully aligned with Nikorima's presence on the bench. Harris-Tavita is likely to operate down the left edge and he is naturally suited to the role he has been given, then there will be sprinkles of Nikorima scootin' out of dummy half, pushing the tempo and hint; look for a similar set of skills to Issac Luke where Nikorima gets out of dummy half and kicks, passes or offloads.

Nikorima may compliment the work of Wayde Egan here also. Egan doesn't strike me as a lively runner out of dummy half, not like Nikorima any way and Egan's strength is his distribution. I do no expect Nikorima and Egan to be on the field together as some NRL teams treat the bench dummy half like a small forward. Neither Nikorima nor Egan is suited to such a roll - maybe Latwon is?

There has been buzz around Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and while that buzz was floating around the Victoria junior, no buzz was around Eliesa Katoa. Having primarily played as an edge forward in the trials, Katoa is likely to play through the middle and I expect the mobility of Taunoa-Brown and Katoa to offer a boost to the Warriors grunt-work.

Katoa himself is an interesting case, especially when pondering the Warriors history of signing players from 1st 15 rugby - none of whom are still with the Warriors. The likes of Fusitu'a and Isaiah Papali'i played both league and union as youngins, while this is a good time to remind everyone that there are numerous players in the SG Ball and Future Warriors squads who are playing 1st 15 rugby and SG Ball.

In 2018, Katoa made the Blues Under 18 camp while playing 1st 15 for Tamaki College. That Blues camp also featured Christian Tuipulotu who was recruited by the Roosters and is named on the wing for North Sydney Bears in NSW's Canterbury Cup. Whether it's Katoa's self-awareness to leave Tonga and challenge himself in Aotearoa or yarns out of Mt Smart about him commanding this opportunity over the summer, Katoa appears to be a prospect that the Warriors are wise to nourish.

Most importantly though, Taunoa-Brown and Katoa offer mobility, enthusiasm and I assume they'll offer a splash of aggression. That's what the Warriors need and while everyone felt the need to search for the sexy headline signing, the Warriors have promoted from within and found value in Taunoa-Brown who was playing reserve grade in Queensland last year.

Conveniently, this encounter with the Knights is all about the forwards. On paper, the Knights forward pack is 10x superior to the Warriors and it's legit funny to go through the names in either forward pack given that disparity. This compounds when the change of style idea is added into the mix and we are going to be offered a tremendous gauge of what the Warriors are about in 2020, even more so as the 'experts' have the Warriors in for a crappy year and they would have the Knights as favourites for this game.

The best case is that the Warriors forwards are too mobile and skillful for the Knights, with the Warriors moving the Knights around to create space out wide and around the ruck. I can see a legit avenue for that to occur, which may not be so easy for many of you reading this but I'm eager to see what happens here and gauge the Warriors from this outing. We'll find out what kind of forward pack is in operation and I'd suggest some may be surprised.

The Warriors reserve grade team also play Newcastle Knights and the new players are Rocco Berry at fullback while Emeliano Mikaele and Nicholas Halalilo are on the bench. Mikaele and Halalilo are both recruited out of Auckland footy, with Halalilo (Mangere East) named on the Aotearoa Residents squad last year and Mikaele (Otahuhu) spent time with the Rabbitohs Under 20s before returning to Aotearoa.

I've discussed Berry many times before and like Katoa, Berry was recruited directly from 1st 15 rugby while at St Pat's Silverstream in Wellington. There is a similar vibe between Berry and Katoa as the both have that professional aura to them, perhaps highlighting the shift in recruitment and scouting by the Warriors in recent years.

For anyone who is all about the Warriors signing this player or that player and doesn't align with the Warriors pivoting towards being a development club, this Canterbury Cup squad should help you understand this pivot. Setu Tu and Edward Kosi have risen through the local footy scene to get to his point, while Selestino Ravutaumada, Temple Kalepo, Tom Ale, Tyler Slade, Sean Mullany, Jyris Glamuzina and Isaiah Vagana all played various amounts of Jersey Flegg footy last year. Adam Pompey and Adam Tuivmavave-Gerrard left Aotearoa only to return and be promoted through the Warriors system, then the likes of Preston Riki and Paul Turner have both come through the Warriors system to settle into Canterbury Cup last year. Adam Keighran's the only Australian in the reserves, obviously impacted by injuries to Jackson Frei etc.

Fullback: Rocco Berry.

Wings: Setu Tu, Selestino Ravutaumada.

Centres: Adam Pompey, Edward Kosi.

Halves: Paul Turner, Adam Keighran.

Middles: Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard, Preston Riki, Tyler Slade.

Hooker: Temple Kalepo.

Edges: Tom Ale, Leivaha Pulu.

Bench: Sean Mullany, Jyris Glamuzina, Isaiah Vagana, Emeliano Mikaele - Nicholas Halalilo.

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Peace and love 27.