The Kiwi-NRL Juniors Who Helped Australian Teams Make Finals In 2022
The annual check in with Kiwi-NRL juniors who helped Australian teams win is back. This serves as a breakdown of various Kiwi-NRL pipelines and zones in on the teams who made finals in Queensland and New South Wales. Some of these lads won't progress any further in rugby league and will take different routes to raise their mana, while other lads will pursue careers in footy.
There will also be lads who creep under this radar and make appearances during the season but don't feature in finals. Last year's round up is here for those who want to track the Kiwi-NRL funk and this sparks up a major theme as Townsville made the Under 21s and Under 18s finals for the second year in a row. North Queensland Cowboys have a fantastic record of Kiwi-NRL recruitment and fresh vibes in their NRL team are now aligned with a slick production line of Kiwi-NRL junior talent.
Townsville didn't win the U18 competition, losing to Souths Logan Magpies. Townsville's starting props were Jeremiah Matautia (Otara) and Henry Teutau (Marist), both of whom left Auckland to enter the Cowboys pipeline. Souths Logan have a Brisbane Broncos connection and Nathaniel Tangimataiti (Ellerslie) is a notable youngster to keep track off.
Tangimataiti started as an edge forward in the final against Townsville and also played U21s for Souths Logan throughout the season. Broncos ramped up their Kiwi-NRL junior mahi in recent years and Tangimataiti was part of the Broncos system in Aotearoa before moving to Brisbane. Souths Logan also have Te Hurinui Twidle (Turangawaewae) coming off the bench in their final victory and he also dabbled in U21s footy for the Magpies.
While Twidle fits the mould of a Broncos Kiwi-NRL recruit from Aotearoa, especially their regional scouting that delivered Xavier Willison from the Waikato, there is no certified connection between Twidle and Broncos. Twidle was part of the 2020 NZRL Under 16 team which highlights his class in Aotearoa and eight other lads from that team feature in this yarn; Benaiah Ioelu, Cassius Tia, Demitric Sifakula, Henry Teutau, Jacob Laban, Jeremiah Matautia, Nathaniel Tangimataiti, Salesi Foketi.
One low key joker from the Souths Logan team is Harry Durbin (Pikiao) who played during the season but didn't feature in the final. Durbin has returned to Aotearoa and is named in the NZ Warriors SG Ball squad.
Townsville defeated Redcliffe Dolphins (NZ Warriors) in Queensland's U21 final. D'Jazirhae Pua'avase (Manurewa) played in Townsville's U18 final last year and started at prop for the U21s final this year, also playing six games of Queensland Cup reserve grade for Townsville. Pua'avase played 20+ minutes in five of these games and he is likely to settle in Q Cup next season, perhaps pushing for an NRL opportunity.
Tyson Chase (Hato Paora College) didn't play in the final for Townsville but he has played 20 games of U21s over the past two years, most of which was alongside Pua'avase. Chase has played in back to back U21s finals and through Townsville, Cowboys have two middle forwards from Aotearoa in both U18s and U21s. Griffin Neame has developed by Cowboys in a similar manner and Cowboys have more Kiwi-NRL juniors on the rise.
Redcliffe's team that lost to Townsville in the U21s final was bolstered by NZ Warriors juniors who will now be pushing for NSW Cup footy with Warriors returning home. Ali Leiataua (Papatoetoe) started at centre in the final and scored 13 tries in 13 games. Kina Kepu (Manurewa) and Demitric Sifakula (Otahuhu) started as props with Taniela Otukolo (Otahuhu) at hooker and Jacob Laban (Randwick) on an edge. Valingi Kepu (Manurewa) came off the bench in the final, while Zyon Maiu'u (Te Atatu) and Lleyton Finau (Marist) played most of the season but didn't feature in the final.
Leiataua, Laban, Maiu'u and Sifakula have been graced with 'Development Contracts' for the 2023 season. Expect these lads to push their way into the Warriors NSW Cup team next season, along with the Kepu twins who dabbled in Q Cup footy. Finau has joined Penrith Panthers Jersey Flegg for next season and the like the NRL salary cap for next season, the future of Otukolo is uncertain as he may be shifting to Panthers as well.
Ben Kosi (Mangere East), Tome Poona (Pikiao), Eric Va'afusuaga (King’s College) and Sefanaia Cowley-Lupo (Bay Roskill) also popped up in the Warriors-Redcliffe U21s team. Kosi and Poona only made sporadic appearances, while Va'afusuaga was part of the Junior Warriors team that played a Junior Tigers team mid-season at Mt Smart and then appeared in a Bulldogs Under 20s team a few weeks later.
Cowley-Lupo appears to be the only player from the Warriors-Redcliffe set up who has been named in the Warriors SG Ball squad. This means that Cowley-Lupo was playing U21s in Queensland while still eligible for U19s SG Ball and that's a lovely sign of his ability.
In New South Wales' SG Ball final this year, Panthers defeated Roosters. Panthers had Wellington's Isaiya Katoa in the halves for both their U19 and U21s finals wins, now he shifts to Redcliffe Dolphins. Kyson Kingi (Kerikeri) was also a steady presence in the Panthers U19 outfit as a middle forward and he featured in a couple U21 games for Panthers as well.
The Roosters team had Cassius Tia (Marist) at halfback and this means the starting halves in NSW's U19s final are both from Aotearoa. Lafi Tuinauvai (Kelston Boys/Waitemata) started at prop in the final, while Benaiah Ioelu (Howick/Mt Albert) and Salesi Foketi (Manurewa) came off the bench. Siua Wong (Mt Albert Grammar) didn't play in the final, although he did play seven games in his third season of SG Ball for Roosters.
Roosters have recruited William Fakatoumafi (Otahuhu) from Panthers, after Fakatoumafi was a consistent presence at centre for Panthers U21s this season. Fakatoumafi popped up for a NSW Cup game with Panthers, but not as many as winger Daeon Amituanai (Whiti Te Ra) who played 14 U21 games and 10 NSW Cup games this season. They were joined by Ilai Tuia (Randwick) who came off the bench throughout the season, as well as Katoa.
The funky Panthers wrinkle to ponder is their appreciation of NZ Warriors juniors. Fakatoumafi, Amituanai and Preston Riki were all in the Warriors system before having to leave Aotearoa and join the 2021 Warriors-Redcliffe collaboration. All three joined Panthers ahead of the 2022 season along with Kingi who had been in the Warriors system before linking up with fellow Northlanders Riki and James Fisher-Harris.
Panthers have now signed Lleyton Finau in a similar move from Warriors-Redcliffe and Francis Manuleleua was also named in the Panthers Jersey Flegg squad for next year. Manuleleua was only in Future Warriors and as one of the best footy juniors (league/union) in Aotearoa, he joins the best NRL development system.
Panthers defeated Newcastle Knights in the U21s final with Keanu Wainohu-Kemp (Tairawhiti) starting on the wing. Wainohu-Kemp had been in the Cowboys system after leaving Gisborne and his first year with Knights saw him play 19 games, then starting in a final. Knights also had Chris Vea'ila (Waitemata) and Jyris Glamuzina (Ellerslie) playing throughout the season, but not the final.
Simi Sasagi (Ellerslie) played the first game of the season in U21s before playing seven NSW Cup games and 14 NRL games. Knights have been busy in Kiwi-NRL recruitment this summer and this is likely to bolster their U21 ranks, perhaps even providing a greater Aotearoa presence in their reserve grade squad for next season.
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