#KiwiNRL Encyclopedia: Round Tekau Ma Tahi
Eels vs Tigers
Eels
Dylan Brown, Marata Niukore, Brad Takairangi.
Tigers
Benji Marshall, Josh Aloiai, Russell Packer, Michael Chee-Kam, Elijah Taylor.
Doc's Word
Dylan Brown vs Benji Marshall serves as an almighty clash of #KiwiNRL halves, especially considering that these two may feature together in an Aotearoa Kiwis squad later in the year. Mitchell Moses' return to the halves for the Eels will impact Brown's involvement as he has he did a great job in leading the Eels without Moses; Moses played 35 minutes before leaving the field in round seven vs Raiders and the Eels won that game, along with wins over Cowboys and Knights before last week's loss to Sea Eagles.
Brown's kicking game got a workout without Moses as he had kicked over 100m just once in the six games prior to Moses' injury, then that became four straight games in which Brown kicked over 100m. A 3-1 record, expanded kicking duties and Brown also registered four straight games with 3+ tackle busts and over 100 running metres. The Eels will be a better team with Moses and Brown together, yet Brown clearly showed development in stepping up without Moses to contribute to wins.
This game also has Marata Niukore and Josh Aloiai through the middle as a funky #KiwiNRL battle, while Russell Packer's making a low key come back with the Tigers. Packer has played eight games in one and a half seasons, making his second appearance for 2020 last weekend in the big win over the Broncos; Aloiai and Packer steamrolled the far more celebrated Broncos pack.
Michael Chee-Kam gets a start on an edge for the Tigers and it's been a weird ol' season for Chee-Kam as he has come off the bench in seven games this season, playing 30+ minutes just once.
Cowboys vs Sea Eagles
Cowboys
Connelly Lemuelu, Esan Marters, Daejarn Asi, Jason Taumalolo, Emry Pere.
Sea Eagles
Danny Levi, Martin Taupau, Taniela Paseka.
Doc's Word
Paul Green has been replaced by Josh Hannay as the Cowboys coach and I'm intrigued as to how this change may impact opportunities for the young #KiwiNRL crew in Townsville. We saw Daejarn Asi make his debut last week and Emry Pere (Waikato) is lurking in the wider squad as a middle forward option, plus Marist Saints junior Peter Hola could benefit from a new coach if he can stay healthy and available.
Ideally, Hannay can get a bit more out of Esan Marsters who has not registered a tackle bust in his last two outings as well as 30 or less post contact metres. In the eight games prior to that, Marsters had a tackle bust and 30+ PCM in all eight of those games. Keep in mind Marsters isn't a certainty a centre for the Kiwis; he departed the Tigers where Kiwis coach Michael Maguire is coach and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was decent at centre for Aotearoa last year.
Broncos vs Storm
Broncos
Pride Petterson-Robati.
Storm
Jahrome Hughes, Brandon Smith, Kenny Bromwich, Albert Vete, Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Doc's Word
Albert Vete made his #KiwiNRL comeback last week in the Storm's big win over the Titans, lining up against old comrade Sam Lisone. Since joining the Storm in 2018, Vete has played five games and with Jesse Bromwich out, Vete is in line for back to back appearances.
I'm also keeping a close eye on Jahrome Hughes as he's been fantastic since returning from injury with a try assist in each of his last five games, along with 100+ running metres in three of his last four games. Keep in mind that Hughes has had to adjust to the Storm's fresh ploy of Cameron Smith spending time at halfback, while Brandon Smith dabbles in middle forward and hooker duties. Brandon has played eight games this season; less than 50mins in all of the first four games, then over 50mins in the last four games.
Warriors vs Roosters
Warriors
All but Blake Green, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, Karl Lawton, Jack Hetherington, Lachlan Burr, Jack Murchie, Josh Curran, Adam Keighran.
Roosters
Joseph Manu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Siosiua Taukeiaho, Isaac Liu, Sitili Tupouniua, Poasa Fa'amausili.
Doc's Word
Issac Liu is an upper-echelon #KiwiNRL forward, although many wouldn't even know who Liu is or why he's in nearly every Kiwis squad from the past few years. That's aided by Liu coming off the bench this season and playing less than 40mins in all but last weekend's loss to the Raiders and it's fairly easy to understand how Liu soars under the radar. Against the Warriors, Liu is named to start in the middle and this should offer an opportunity for Liu to showcase his talents. Playing 20+ games for six seasons in a row is a clear example of how the Roosters view Liu and his job through he middle, so pay close attention to his late footwork and tireless efforts.
Sharks vs Dragons
Sharks
Sione Katoa, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Shaun Johnson, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Siosifa Talakai, Bryson Goodwin.
Dragons
Nada.
Doc's Word
Everything is clear-cut for Braden Hamlin-Uele...
First Five Games: Off the bench in all five, one game over 40mins, four losses and one win, no tries.
Last Five Games: Starting in all five games, one game under 40mins, four wins and one loss, three tries.
Raiders vs Rabbitohs
Raiders
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Jordan Rapana, Siliva Havili, Joseph Tapine.
Rabbitohs
Jaxson Paulo, Steven Marsters.
Doc's Word
Jaxson Paulo made his debut on the wing last week and Steven Marsters has been named on the extended bench for the past few weeks. Hopefully we get to see the Rabbitohs go from no #KiwiNRL players to having Paulo and Marsters in the same outfit; they were comrades in the 2017 Aotearoa Under 18 team.
Siliva Havili played 48 minutes in his first start at hooker this year, although Havili did split time with Tom Starling and played through the middle in patches while Starling played hooker. Havili popped out of dummy half for a long kick and made 34 tackles @ 91.9 percent efficiency in an impressive performance and I'm interested in how Havili performs compared to Rabbitohs hooker Damien Cook; two different styles/jobs.
Knights vs Bulldogs
Knights
Herman Ese'ese.
Bulldogs
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Kieran Foran, Jeremy Marshall-King, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Sione Katoa, Renouf To'omaga, Ofahiki Ogden.
Doc's Word
The loss of coach Dean Pay could be favourable for Ofahiki Ogden as he struggled for consistent game time under Pay and is set for his third consecutive game of the season. There could be a Kiwis opportunity for Raymond Faitala-Mariner if he wants it given that he has started the last six games as an edge forward after playing the first four games off the bench - primarily through the middle. The Kiwis have the likes of Briton Nikora, Tohu Harris and Kenny Bromwich as specialist edge forwards and there's wiggle room for Faitala-Mariner if he can make waves with this consistent game time.
Titans vs Panthers
Titans
Moeaki Fotuaika, Erin Clark, Kevin Proctor, Sam Lisone.
Panthers
Caleb Aekins, Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota.
Doc's Word
Caleb Aekins is back for the Panthers, stepping in for fullback Dylan Edwards. Any chance to start is a big opportunity for Aekins and while Aekins had three wins, one draw and a loss in his five games earlier this year, Edwards enjoyed five wins in a row and the Panthers have climbed to the top spot on the ladder.
Different twist on the excellence of James Fisher-Harris: 10 games playing 50mins, 40+ PCM and 150+ running metres in every game. In 2019, Fisher-Harris averaged 132.92m per game and that was the first season averaging over 100m. In 2020, Fisher-Harris is averaging 198.94m per game.
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