Monday Morning Dummy Half: The Young #KiwiNRL Cowboys
The 2021 Maori All Stars team provided a fabulous insight into the budding crop of #KiwiNRL youngsters coming through the North Queensland Cowboys system. Despite the summer departure of highly touted prospect Tukimihia Simpkins - who the Cowboys recruited from Rotorua Boys High School - to Wests Tigers, the Maori All Stars rolled out young Cowboys forwards Emry Pere and Wiremu Greig as part of their extended bench.
Pere and fellow Maori All Star Daejarn Asi were joined by Connelly Lemuelu in being one of 13 #KiwiNRL debutants last year. As new coach Todd Payten reinvigorates the Cowboys, this season is shaping up as a great time to tap into Cowboy #KiwiNRL business as they have one of the most diverse #KiwiNRL crews in their roster. Here's how the Cowboys #KiwiNRL group breaks down...
Jason Taumalolo: Papakura Sea Eagles/Otahuhu Leopards - Auckland.
Esan Marsters: Mt Albert Lions - Auckland.
Peter Hola: Marist Saints - Auckland.
Emry Pere: Taniwharau - Waikato.
Connelly Lemuelu: Papatoetoe Rugby Club/Tangaroa College - Auckland.
Daejarn Asi: Aranui Eagles - Christchurch.
Wiremu Greig: Northland Swords - Northland.
Griffin Neame: Suburbs Rugby League - Greymouth.
Also in the Cowboys squad are Murray Taulagi who was born and raised in Auckland, playing for Otahuhu Rugby Club and appears to have aligned himself with Queensland and Australia. Jeremiah Nanai was born in Auckland and moved to Cairns where he's come through the Cowboys system as a decorated junior who has spent time with the Queenslnd Under 18 Emerging Origin squad.
Dive deeper in the Cowboys system and you'll find a Christchurch's Zinzaan Martin, or Pere's younger brother James. All those deeper cuts are a bit murky at the moment as we wait to see how the Hasting Deering Colts Under 21 squads shape up, as well as the other junior Queensland Competitions. Strictly in the Cowboys NRL group though, the work of their Aotearoa recruitment is starting to filter through.
First, the Cowboys have been busy in pouncing on young #KiwiNRL players from other clubs and there is some weird crossover with Wests Tigers here. Esan Marsters came to the Cowboys from the Tigers, while Lemuelu went through Keebra Park High School and into the Tigers system before moving to Canterbury Bulldogs then Cowboys. Meanwhile, Simpkins went the other way to the Tigers and in last Friday's email newsletter, I highlighted how the Tigers are snapping up everyone else's #KiwiNRL prospects.
Across the Tigers NRL and junior squads are the following players, all of whom were recruited by another NRL club from Aotearoa...
Tukimihia Simpkins: Cowboys/Rotorua.
Joseph Taipari: Eels/Christchurch.
Kelma Tuilagi: Storm/Auckland.
Etuale Lui: Eels/Auckland.
Slide back in time and Manly Sea Eagles forward Josh Aloiai was recruited by Parramatta Eels before playing NRL with the Tigers. In the Tigers Jersey Flegg and SG Ball group are Israel Ogden, Tamehana Pururu, Jarney Proctor-Harwood and Tray Lolesio who all played junior footy for NZ Warriors.
There's an Aotearoa link with Kiwis coach Michael Maguire in charge, although this trend was in place before Maguire's arrival as evident with Aloiai. Simpkins, Taipari, Tuilagi and Lui have all played some type of NZRL rep footy and whether between the 2019/20 season or this summer, all four have been recruited to the Tigers under Maguire's watch.
The Cowboys have a bit of that in Marsters and Lemuelu, but there it seems as though the Cowboys have invested in regional scouting around Aotearoa in the last few years. Hola is the only one of this younger group who was recruited from Auckland and the 21-year-old has gone on to play 9 games across the last two years in the middle. Around the same time, the Cowboys ushered Pere into their junior system after Pere made an impression playing 1st 15 rugby union on the Gold Coast having moved across the ditch from Huntly.
Asi has a similar vibe to Pere in that Asi left Christchurch to play 1st 15 rugby in Brisbane, then went to the Cowboys. This is more a matter of convenience that Pere and Asi aren't from Auckland and the Cowboys pounced on players who were already in Australia, but the more recent recruits have a hefty regional vibe to them; Greig from Northland and Neame from Greymouth.
Since 2015, there has been a junior Cowboy in every Junior Kiwis squad...
2015: Braden Hamlin-Uele (via Roosters)
2016: Brandon Smith.
2017: Emry Pere.
2018: Emry Pere, Peter Hola.
2019: Griffin Neame.
As far as how the #KiwiNRL Cowboys are shaping up for this season, Hola and Pere are the lads hunting game time in the forward pack alongside Taumalolo. Marsters will be eager to get back to consistent footy under former Tigers mentor Payten, while Lemuelu is also in the mix for a starting backline spot. Asi made his debut in the halves last season, although he is likely to get minutes at centre and his versatility will be a key factor in his minutes this season. Greig and Neame are fair chances of making their debuts this year in the Cowboys forward pack.
Last year was horrible for the Cowboys, yet it did provide three #KiwiNRL debutants and fun moments like Asi's debut try. With a new coach and apparently a funky new playing style, any Cowboys success is going to involve an exciting crop of #KiwiNRL youngsters and I'm eager to see how the wider Cowboys squads shape up to suss out their #KiwiNRL juniors.
For international rep footy, I'd expect Hola to fall under Jason Taumalolo's Tonga dynasty but he may opt to head down the Kiwis route. Lemuelu will likely line up for Samoa in the near future and Asi is eligible for Samoa, as well as Aotearoa. Pere, Greig, Neame and Marsters are all heading towards Aotearoa Kiwis footy.
Speaking of Maori All Stars, here is a team of younger Maori All Stars (some have debut, some are players I've got as exciting prospects)…
Fullback: Hayze Perham
Wings: Reimis Smith, Patrick Herbert.
Centres: Morgan Harper, Steven Marsters
Halves: Daejarn Asi, Chanel Harris-Tavita.
Middles: James Fisher-Harris, Joseph Tapine, Jazz Tevaga.
Edges: Briton Nikora, Jordan Riki.
Hooker: Brandon Smith.
Bench: Matthew Timoko, Emry Pere, Judda Turahui, Tukimihia Simpkins.
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Peace and love.