When the dingoes are away, Aotearoa Kiwi-NRL mahi rises like an east coast sunrise. Some other Aussie contest is floating around the NRL right now and that leaves four games of footy to enjoy, with five funky Kiwi-NRL wrinkles to ponder. These are delightful times for Kiwi-NRL footy as we will soon have Aotearoa Kiwis and Tonga squads to break down as part of an enticing international footy pocket. Don't buzz about the Aussie stuff, tap in and tune out.

Joey Manu At Fullback

Every season Tokoroa's Joseph Manu gets a few games at fullback for Roosters where he flexes all over the NRL. Manu is the best centre in the league and is also given freedom to explore outside his centre bubble, which becomes a lovely fullback party when James Tedesco is absent. Manu has played centre in all 12 games this season so this will be his first proper taste of fullback footy and (peep the theme) he is coming off one of, if not his best performance of the season in last weeks' win over Sharks.

Manu had more than 200 running metres for the first time this season along with 2 offloads, 5 tackle busts and a try. Manu has scored more tries in other games and/or had more linebreaks, maybe Manu has even included try assists in his box score. Manu hasn't combined all these major stats in a game to the extent that he did last week and this is likely to flow into his fullback mahi.

Manu has 4+ tackle busts and 2 or less missed tackles in each of his last four games. Manu is also on track for some career best mahi as he scored 10 tries with 12 linebreaks last season, currently sitting on 7 tries and 8 linebreaks for this season. In 2018 Manu had 9 try assists and he currently has 5 try assists. Manu appears likely to surpass all those previous best tallies and as there aren't many contenders for an Aotearoa Kiwis fullback gig, Manu is a sniff of sealing that role in a World Cup year.

Joseph Tapine's Elevated Mahi

Who is the best Raiders player most weeks? Joseph Tapine.

Tapine played 54mins in the loss to Eels last round with 20 runs for 234m @ 11.7m/run, 3 offloads and 31 tackles @ 97 percent efficiency. Tapine had 108 PCM against Eels which amounts to his best game of the season for PCM and total run metres, while he also has no official missed tackles in his last three games (20+ tackles made). Tapine is currently 2nd for total PCM and he has almost 200 more PCM than Josh Papali'i. Tapine has also made 348 tackles @ 97 percent over the season.

This is the best Tapine we've seen since his debut in 2014. Tapine is averaging 149m/game which is a notable jump up from 125m/game in 2020 and 120m/game in 2021. This flows into his PCM tally as he has 799 PCM this season and is chasing 964 PCM last season, as well as his career best 1,042 PCM in 2020. As you'll see below, Tapine is averaging slightly more metres right now than James Fisher-Harris.

Raiders face Roosters which has ample Kiwi-NRL funk, led by the Tapine vs Jared Waerea-Hargreaves battle. Both these lads are leaders of their respective forward packs and both will soon lace up for Aotearoa, which is a fabulous contest to fizz over. Tapine is playing the best footy of his career and for someone who was already one of the most mobile, powerful forwards in the league, that's exciting to ponder.

James Fisher-Harris The Leader

El hombre de Hokianga isn't churning out the same mahi that saw him settle among the best props in the NRL, although that is because Panthers are a finely-tuned machine that is managing Fisher-Harris' workload. Fisher-Harris' average metres per game has slowly decreased from its peak in 2020; 179m, 153m and 142m this season.

Last week's win over Cowboys featured Fisher-Harris in supreme form - his best performance of the season. In 48mins, Fisher-Harris had 20 runs for 220m @ 11m/run which is well above his season average and the second time he has passed 200m this season. This caps of a nifty run of games against Storm, Roosters and Cowboys where Fisher-Harris registered 2 tackle busts, 50+ Post Contact Metres and 140+ running metres in three consecutive games against high quality opposition. Fisher Harris has also made 319 tackles this season with 96 percent efficiency.

Panthers now face Bulldogs and Fisher-Harris could dominate the middle in a destructive performance. Panthers know that their end of season run is most important and they may not need Fisher-Harris to go bonkers against Bulldogs in round 13; in similar minutes to every other game, Fisher-Harris had just 12 runs for 95m against Bulldogs in round five.

The only difference between that game and this round's fixture is the absence of Panthers' best players which could result in more mahi for Fisher-Harris. Fellow Hokianga trooper Preston Riki has snuck on to an extended bench as well after playing in NSW Cup for Panthers and can't be far off his Kiwi-NRL debut.

Lots of Kiwi-NRL Centres...

Titans vs Cowboys features Patrick Herbert and Peta Hiku. Both are likely to play right centre, but could line up against each other for a funky battle. I've got Hiku as a starting Aotearoa Kiwis centre and he's loving his move to Cowboys while Herbert returns to a struggling Titans outfit.

Sea Eagles vs Warriors features Morgan Harper, Rocco Berry and Adam Pompey. Viliami Vailea is out injured for Warriors which opens things up for Berry's return and both these teams are battling through the season, so these lads aren't exactly in form.

Raiders vs Roosters features Matthew Timoko who keeps on starting at centre for Raiders. Timoko has quietly built solid foundations this season and I've got him ahead of Herbert, Harper, Berry and Pompey as well as the other young Kiwi-NRL centres.

Four games, six lads from Aotearoa starting at centre.

Lots of Kiwi-NRL Wingers...

Even though Otahuhu's Murray Taulagi seems to have snuck into Queensland quicker than Ronaldo Mulitalo, there is plenty of Aotearoa wing funk this round. Jamayne Isaako is grinding things out with Titans, while Christian Tuipulotu and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak are on the wing for Sea Eagles and Warriors respectively. Raiders have Jordan Rapana holding it down on the wing and similar to the Aotearoa Kiwis centre spot, there is some intrigue around Aotearoa Kiwis wingers.

Ken Maumalo and Bailey Simonsson feel like the best wingers, or most likely selections for coach Michael Maguire. Watene-Zelezniak and Rapana are capable veterans, with Isaako also featuring in previous Tests. Tuipulotu is my pick for the best Kiwi-NRL winger playing this round and he could opt to play for Tonga straight up, or if he is surplus to Kiwis requirements.

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Peace and love.