Learning About Kiwi-NRL Recruitment Through Deine Mariner's Journey
In tracking all things Kiwi-NRL the mahi of Deine Mariner in Australia has caught my attention not only as Mariner's clearly a high quality Kiwi-NRL prospect but also because this falls into alignment with wider Kiwi-NRL ideas. I'm always cautious in writing about younger sports prospects and that caution is a bias that frames these yarns, while I also have to remind folks (parents and youngins) that everyone's journey is different. Whether it's your destiny to be a monster prospect, a late bloomer or not wind up in professional sports it's all good just be yourself.
Deine Mariner is a Marist Saints (Auckland) junior who was picked up by Brisbane Broncos and whisked across to Palm Beach Currumbin High School. Mariner featured in various Akarana Falcons representative teams, playing with and against the army of Kiwi-NRL prospects now aligned with NRL teams. While part of the Brisbane Broncos junior academy in 2019, Mariner played for Auckland Vulcans vs Future Warriors.
This year Mariner has dominated Queensland rugby league. Mariner started at centre for Tweed Heads in the Mal Meninga Cup (U18) last year before that season was scratched due to pandemic things and Mariner swung back around with Tweed Heads to win the Mal Meninga Cup this year. This was followed by being named at centre for the Australian Schoolboys team and most recently Mariner played a leading role in Palm Beach Currumbin's Queensland Schoolboy championship with a 62-0 win over St Brendan's College.
The intention here is to introduce Mariner as a name to note down and learn about the Kiwi-NRL recruitment system. Mariner is essentially the best schoolboy centre in Australia right now and will move into a development contract with Broncos next season, throwing to the ka pai Kiwi-NRL recruitment of Brisbane Broncos. This season TC Robati (Porirua Vikings) and Xavier Willison (Wai-Coa Bay) added size and mobility to a Broncos forward pack that already had Jordan Riki (Hornby Panthers).
Broncos have Mariner coming through as well as Felix and Caius Fa'atili (Hornby Panthers) from Christchurch. Caius has been playing Hastings-Deering Colts (U21s) with Wynnum-Manly and Felix played Mal Meninga Cup with Norths Devils. Both Wynnum and Norths are aligned with Broncos. Nathaniel Tangimataiti (Ellerslie Eagles) played alongside Mariner in that Auckland Vulcans vs Future Warriors game and was also part of the Broncos academy in Aotearoa, moving to Marsden State High School and playing MMC with Wynnum this season.
Most of the high profile Queensland rugby league schools have Kiwi-NRL recruits playing for them as NRL clubs are doing a nice job of integrating youngsters from Aotearoa into Australian systems. Everyone knows about Keebra Park High School (shout out to Manurewa Marlins junior Amarni Wetini-Ngaporo who will join Keebra Park and Gold Coast Titans next year) and now there is just as strong a Kiwi-NRL presence at schools like Palm Beach and Marsden State as the typical powerhouse Keebra Park.
Also noteworthy here is Northland's Tea-Rani Woodman-Tuhoro who played for Marsden State this season and is now signed by Melbourne Storm.
PBC delivers the most intriguing note as Mariner and Keano Kini played in the same Tweed Heads and PBC championship teams, but are aligned with different NRL clubs. Kini is a Northcote/Marist junior and while he doesn't have the accolades of Mariner, Kini started at fullback for PBC and all my research suggests Kini is a talented play-maker with speed.
Two Kiwi-NRL recruits from Auckland, placed in the same club and school via different NRL clubs.
I don't think that means anything, it's just a funky note that tells the Kiwi-NRL story. Given that Broncos debutant Willison was playing for PBC last year and cracked NRL this year, this seems like a fairly strong development pathway for players who were already making local, NZRL and Maori representative teams.
Through Kini's link with Titans we acquaint ourselves with the busiest Kiwi-NRL recruitment club and why I believe the Titans are building a Kiwi-NRL force. I'll do a deep dive on this in the coming days so stay tuned for that, while Mariner is shaping up as a key name to follow through the Broncos off-season along with Broncos prospects such as the Fa’atili brothers and Tangimataiti.
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