Monday Morning Dummy Half: Big Future Kiwis
There is no shortage of young lads from Aotearoa moving and grooving in the NRL, fresh off a 2020 campaign that saw 13 #KiwiNRL debutants. In today's Monday Morning Dummy Half, I'm going to chuck up a quartet of lads who have tasted NRL footy and have perked up my antenna as exciting or intriguing players to watch out for this year.
Dylan Brown - Parramatta Eels
Northland rugby league has a strong influence on NRL business as James Fisher-Harris has settled into a top-tier middle forward perch, Corey Harawira-Naera and Caleb Aekins are new on to the Canberra Raiders scene and then there is Hikurangi Stags junior Dylan Brown. Having played 33 games, Brown isn't new to NRL footy and has steadily improved in his two seasons to the point where I was highlighting how Brown was the busiest running/tackling half in the NRL.
Of course, when dealing with the Eels there is plenty of attention on Mitchell Moses. Moses is the dominant half, doing most of the kicking and especially long kicks to get the Eels out of trouble while the Eels have played with Brown on the left edge and Moses on the right edge. My #KiwiNRL bias has me eager to see Brown take on a greater role within the Eels attack and that will allow the Eels to have more variety in how they attack. Here is how Brown and Moses compared last year...
Brown: 18 games, 5 try assists, 3 linebreak assists, 7 offloads, 10 linebreaks, 116 running metres, 89.7 percent tackle efficiency.
Moses: 19 games, 8 try assists, 5 linebreak assists, 10 offloads, 4 linebreaks, 65 running metres, 81.3 percecnt tackle efficiency.
Then we have Aotearoa Kiwis business. Brown is also eligible for Samoa. There was no Kiwis footy last year and I've got Brown as being in the same mix as Shaun Johnson, Kieran Foran and Jahrome Hughes. Plus Benji Marshall's kaumatua status. Brown represents Aotearoa Kiwis play-making depth and that's something that we've never really enjoyed. I also believe that Brown's development could put him above others if the stars align and that would see Brown as a starting half for Aotearoa in a spine that also features Brandon Smith at hooker and Roger Tuivsaa-Sheck at fullback.
Jordan Riki - Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos have had Jordan Riki in their sights for a long time, stretching back to Riki being linked with the Broncos while he was at St Thomas of Canterbury school in Christchurch. Riki was in the Aotearoa Under 16s back in 2016 alongside Matthew Timoko, Starford To'a and Asu Kepaoa, then Riki won the Under 16s Player of the Year in early 2017. Later in 2017, Riki made the National Secondary Schools Tournament Team and Aotearoa Under 18s before moving over to Brisbane to get amongst the Broncos set up.
That's where a bit of the Riki funk is as this is an example of one of the #KiwiNRL pipelines. Last week I highlighted how Canberra Raiders mix up their #KiwiNRL recruitment between the rugby league and 1st 15 mixers, while another aspect is whether NRL clubs move players across the ditch asap or wait for the players to finish school in Aotearoa. That's four different angles right there and while most NRL clubs do more of the moving across the ditch asap stuff, there are more players emerging like Riki who stay in Aotearoa to develop at home and then move. NZRL are doing a nice job of providing more resource within Aotearoa and NRL clubs are busy within Aotearoa holding training camps etc.
The Hornby Panthers junior played four games of NRL footy last year, after starting round one in Queensland's Intrust Super Cup for Norths Devils. 2019 was a big year for Riki as he played 15 games of reserve grade and as the Broncos bid farewell to David Fifita, there are some edge forward opportunities opening up for Riki. Check Riki's minutes in his four games; 25mins, 29, 32, 48, 80.
Despite the Broncos woes, they did well to ease Riki into NRL footy. As a young bloke, Riki finished last season tackling at 91.6 percent efficiency and in five games he had 2 offloads, 5 tackle busts and a line break for a try. Expect Riki to be in the Broncos top-17 for round one and I get a similar vibe to James Fisher-Harris here as Riki could very quickly make himself a mandatory selection via his work ethic and intensity.
Starford To'a - Newcastle Knights
Making his debut in 2019 and wiggling his way into some Aotearoa Kiwis wider squad business that year, To'a went on to play seven games on the wing for Newcastle Knights last season. The Knights aren't exactly short on wing depth and this is more about how much legit game time To'a can get this season, which starts with what impression he is making over the summer. A Mt Wellington Warriors junior in Auckland, To'a was a stand out at St Paul's College in Auckland and that Riki/To'a/Kepaoa trio went from Aotearoa Under 16s to Under 19 Junior Kiwis together in 2019.
In his seven games, To'a scored 4 tries along with 4 linebreaks and 14 tackle busts. To'a looked at ease in the NRL and as a nimble, powerful winger I'm eager to see if To'a can get game time early in the season and then how he develops in a full season of NRL footy. To'a has been a junior representative staple in Aotearoa and made Australian Schoolboys when he moved across the ditch, so the pedigree is high.
Morgan Harper - Manly Sea Eagles
I touched on Harper a bit in the first MMDH of the year, as I briefly explored the Bulldogs departures of Harper and Reimis Smith - two Junior Kiwis outside backs. Harper made a mid-season move to Manly Sea Eagles last year after making his debut in 2019 for the Bulldogs, then Harper played one game for the Bulldogs and four games for Manly in 2020. The intrigue is in how swiftly Harper was given a chance at centre with Manly and as always, how comfortable a young player looks at the NRL level.
In four games of footy, the Ngaruawahia junior scored 3 tries with 4 linebreaks and 16 tackle busts at centre. Harper mainly played right centre and his defensive prowess will be a key factor in how much game time he gets this season as he tackled at 76.1 percent last year, but did improve as he missed 6 tackles in his first two games for Manly, then he missed just 1 tackle in his next couple of games.
An issue for Harper could be Manly's depth. Another high pedigree #KiwiNRL prospect Christian Tuipulotu also joined Manly for this season and he could cover wing/centre, while Brad Parker, Moses Suli and Dylan Walker are the more senior centre options. That's niggly for Harper, so I'm interested in how Harper fits into coach Des Hasler's system and whether Harper can leap-frog the other centre options.
Hit an ad to support the Niche Cache. Join the Niche Cache Patreon whanau.
Peace and love.