First Aotearoa Kiwis Squad Of 2022 Breakdown
After almost a three year absence, an Aotearoa Kiwis squad has been named and international rugby league is back to tell Australia to chill out. Coach Michael Maguire dropped a wider squad that will hopefully integrate some of the fringe lads into the Aotearoa Kiwis whanau to build depth and mana, while the strength of Aotearoa rugby league is most evident in the top-tier lads who will form a team to face Tonga.
If you're buzzing about there being just one Aotearoa Warriors player in this squad of 25, catch up. Aotearoa Warriors do not represent Aotearoa in the NRL, they are just another professional organisation (usually) based in Aotearoa. The players, coaches and staff from Aotearoa who work in the NRL represent Aotearoa and this is covered every week in our Kiwi-NRL mahi.
This Aotearoa Kiwis wider squad encapsulates all things Kiwi-NRL. There are blokes recruited from Aotearoa by NRL clubs, there are blokes who moved to Australia on their own accord to chase a dream and there are blokes who have popped up in the 'eligibility bonus buckie'.
Ronaldo Mulitalo's selection is a bonus for example and these selections help off-set the downbuzz movement of players away from representing Aotearoa. Mulitalo should be a starting winger for Aotearoa Kiwis and is the only lad from Otara in this squad, via his grassroots club Ellerslie Eagles. All signs suggested that Moses Leota wasn't in the frame for any Aotearoa footy and while he might lace up for Samoa (any of these lads are fine to switch) at some point, Leota is now here with Aotearoa Kiwis.
It's not clear where in Auckland Leota grew up before moving to Sydney, while Scott Sorenson is another bonus selection after being born and raised in Sydney. Sorenson is from a hearty footy whanau with his uncles starting out at Mt Wellington before representing Aotearoa, which includes Tongan lineage and Sorenson featured in a 2018 Tonga squad. The power/mobility combo that Leota and Sorenson offer fits snug into this blend of Kiwis forwards.
Auckland provides the most players in terms of Aotearoa regions and Manurewa Marlins provde the most players of any club. The selection of Dylan Brown highlights the rise of Northland rugby league and he joins James Fisher-Harris as naughty Northlanders, with the Waikato region also blossoming as a rugby league farm. Joseph Manu and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak are joined by Te Maire Martin who literally raised his mana in Waikato during his time away from footy.
Wellington is put in the spotlight again with Jospeh Tapine, Jahrome Hughes and Jordan Rapana all representing a low key rugby league heartland. While many players come from Auckland, the quality of players from Northland, Waikato and Wellington is undeniable. Some of the best players in the NRL come from regional Aotearoa and this is fabulous for young kiwis to see a geezer from down the road now dominating all levels of footy.
A key wrinkle to bolster Kiwi-NRL and Aotearoa Kiwis mana is the South Island crew. Lads like Lewis Brown (Christchurch) and Simon Mannering (Motueka/Nelson) held things down for the South Island, there was even a brief stint with Greymouth's Slade Griffin in Aotearoa Kiwis squads. Along with all regions around Aotearoa, this will be an area of Kiwi-NRL growth and the selections of Christchurch's Jordan Riki and Greymouth's Griffin Neame keep the momentum flowing.
The rise of Riki and Neame highlight the Kiwi-NRL takeover. Riki was in the Brisbane Broncos system while dominating all footy in Aotearoa and Neame has been in the Cowboys system since he was traveling from Greymouth to Christchurch to play footy. Cowboys are the busiest NRL club in deep-cut regional recruitment and they have many more Kiwi-NRL juniors in their system, while Broncos are now investing a lot more in their recruitment from Aotearoa.
In the rise Riki and Neame, there are insights into Kiwi-NRL recruitment. First and foremost, every NRL club recruits directly from Aotearoa. Broncos and Cowboys are joined by clubs like Roosters in having Kiwi-NRL juniors in their Aussie systems, as well as academies in Aotearoa. Riki and Neame were at the start of this wave, now Broncos and Cowboys have a hefty pipeline of Kiwi-NRL talent that is either in Brisbane/Townsville or finishing school in Aotearoa.
Next step is seeing how coach Maguire flips this squad into a top-17 to face Tonga. Over the coming days there will by Kiwi-NRL Spotlight yarns about Tonga and Samoa squads, as well as a deep dive into the Kiwi Ferns squad.
Player/Club/Region
Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Upper Hutt Tigers - Wellington)
Jesse Bromwich (Manurewa Marlins- Auckland)
Kenny Bromwich (Manurewa Marlins - Auckland)
Dylan Brown (Hikurangi Stags - Northland)
Erin Clark (Manurewa Marlins - Auckland)
James Fisher-Harris (Whangarei Marist - Northland)
Kieran Foran (Ellerslie Eagles - Auckland)
Peta Hiku (Manurewa Marlins - Auckland)
Jahrome Hughes (Harbour City - Wellington)
Moses Leota (Auckland)
Isaac Liu (Otahuhu - Auckland)
Joseph Manu (Tokoroa HS - Waikato)
Te Maire Martin (Turangawaewae - Waikato)
Ken Maumalo (Papatoetoe Panthers - Auckland)
Ronaldo Mulitalo (Ellerslie Eagles - Auckland)
Griffin Neame (Suburbs RL - Greymouth)
Briton Nikora (Tauranga - Bay of Plenty)
Marata Niukore (Mangere East Hawks - Auckland)
Isaiah Papali'i (Te Atatu Roosters - Auckland)
Jordan Rapana (Wellington)
Jordan Riki (Hornby Panthers - Christchurch)
Brandon Smith (Waiheke Rams - Auckland)
Scott Sorenson (Sydney)
Joseph Tapine (Harbour City - Wellington)
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Waikato)
Most Clubs
Manurewa: 4
Harbour City: 2
Ellerslie: 2
Regions
Auckland: 12
Northland: 2
Waikato: 3
BOP: 1
Wellington: 4
South Island: 2
Australia: 1
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