Having risen through Rotorua's thriving rugby union and league community, Hayze Perham is now stacking up Kiwi-NRL starts with Parramatta Eels. For many of Aotearoa's best footy prospects the journey to consistent NRL footy is a wonky excursion but Perham stayed solid to his potential since being scouted by Penrith Panthers, then grinding with Aotearoa Warriors to make his debut and now settling with Eels.

Those around the Bay of Plenty would have known plenty about Perham's rise as he played 1st 15 rugby and league for Rotorua Boys High School, also playing club footy for Pikiao Warriors. Perham covered most backline positions in union and apparently played in the halves when playing league, which sets up his Kiwi-NRL mahi nicely.

Perham struggled to find an opportunity with Warriors. There was some buzz about Perham being a fullback option back in 2018 and Perham was put at centre for most of his Warriors NRL games, while also playing in the halves for Redcliffe Dolphins weeks before moving to Eels last year. We all know the Warriors angle to this yarn as they have a hefty track record of struggling to develop young players and Perham's move to Eels isn't quite Isaiah Papali'i/Marata Niukore levels, although Perham has elevated his footy since the move.

Eels have struggled with their outside back depth this year and this has opened up a wing spot for Perham. Aotearoa Kiwis wing contender Bailey Simonsson also benefited as he left Canberra Raiders for Eels, while Perham has showcased his mana in plugging a hole on the other wing. Wing doesn't appear to be Perham's best position, yet Perham is doing his job and what the team requires which is a fantastic sign of development.

For example, Perham got dunked on by Joseph Sualii in last night's loss to Roosters. While Simonsson (also has BOP roots) is a specialist winger who is comfortable with rugged carries and gathering metres, Perham is smaller and more subtle with his running mahi. Perham is also more skillful than most wingers which stems from his play-making background and this was on display earlier this season as Perham started three games at fullback, one at centre for Eels reserve grade.

In four NSW Cup games, Perham had 8 try assists and racked up 120+ metres in all four games. Perham has now started four consecutive games on the wing for Eels in NRL with 2 tries. Perham is only averaging 90m/game which points to the hearty mahi aspect of his footy as Perham is adjusting to the running impact wingers need to provide at this level.

Perham isn't going to get minutes ahead of Clinton Gutherson at fullback in the NRL, but he can provide cover and now he is churning out tough mahi on the wing. Tough mahi and mana are the key ideas here as Perham was primarily a play-making footy player when based in Aotearoa, now he is getting NRL reps thanks to tough mahi that raises mana.

Eels are a funky Kiwi-NRL team thanks to their quality, quantity and style of footy. Papali'i and Niukore have tapped into their potential thanks to the Eels’ rugged style. Makahesi Makatoa (New Plymouth) has found a home as an impactful middle forward in the same fashion, while their young half from Whangarei is the best tackling half in the NRL and Dylan Brown also averages more running metres than most NRL players (129m/game). Wiremu Greig is next in this hearty development system.

All of that is evident in Perham's mahi this season as he isn't tapping into his razzle dazzle potential, he is exploring what he is capable of as far as rugged NRL footy goes. Hopefully Haze Dunster returns to NRL footy soon enough and we will be graced with the double-banger Rotorua Hayze/Haze partnership to round this out.

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