Kiwi-NRL Spotlight: The Austin Dias Debut
The return of Aotearoa Warriors to Mt Smart was also the first time those poor ol' Aussie NRL teams had to travel outside their little bubbles and for Wests Tigers debutant Austin Dias, that's glorious Kiwi-NRL alignment. The Taniwharau junior played 16 minutes off the bench and while there was also alignment in Dias' mahi being aligned with general Tigers mahi, this deepens key trends in Kiwi-NRL matters.
First and foremost is Taniwharau mana. Every Kiwi-NRL lad has a different journey to professional footy, some like Christian Tuipulotu are highly decorated and sought after juniors while others like Dias sneak under the radar. Dias came up through Taniwharau and Wai-Coa Bay representative teams, most notably the 2015 Under 17 Wai-Coa Bay team where he played alongside Hayze Perham and Morgan Harper. Pikaio junior Perham joined Warriors, Ngaruawahia junior Harper joined Bulldogs and Dias entered the Eels' junior system.
Dias' Kiwi-NRL debut comes after Mya Hill-Moana won an NRLWahine championship with Roosters and then returned to Taniwharau where she became the first wahine to receive the club blazer. The Kiwi Ferns forward will lace up again for Roosters in the next NRLWahine season later this year and after catching Hill-Moana represent Aotearoa at Mt Smart, Taniwharau were graced with Dias' debut a week later on the same turf.
Dias played two years in the Eels system, then two years in the Bulldogs system. Dias then joined the wider Tigers mixer ahead of the 2020 season where Aotearoa Kiwis coach Michael Maguire was quietly assembling as many Kiwi-NRL youngsters as he could find. Part of this was on display in the loss to Warriors as Starford To'a, Ken Maumalo, Kelma Tuilagi (Auckland) and Fa'amanu Brown (Christchurch) all joined Tigers under Maguire's watch.
Dias had been playing for Tigers reserve grade outfit Western Suburbs Magpies and their team from the weekend featured Israel Ogden, Junior Pauga, Christian Ma'anaima (Auckland) and Joseph Taipari (Christchurch) who also joined Tigers under Maguire. Interestingly, Dias appears to have overtaken Tukimihia Simpkins (Rotorua) who is now playing Jersey Flegg (U21) and after being a top-tier Kiwi-NRL junior, Simpkins has drifted down the Tigers pecking order.
Simpkins joined Tigers from Cowboys thanks to Maguire and made his Kiwi-NRL debut last year but hasn't played NRL this season, barely playing NSW Cup. Simpkins started at prop for Tigers Jersey Flegg alongside Otara junior Tray Lolesio, with Waitemata's Sione Vaihu on the bench last weekend. All three joined Tigers during Maguire's tenure as coach.
Dias and Simpkins make for an interesting comparison. Simpkins was a decorated NZRL junior and 1st 15 player at Rotorua Boys High School, quickly climbing up the Cowboys ladder before joining Tigers in a celebrated move. Dias had far less buzz and quietly went about his mahi to now earn a debut on Aotearoa soil, leap-frogging Simpkins.
Tigers have plenty of Kiwi-NRL mana and they have specifically recruited Kiwi-NRL players from other NRL systems. Kiwis coach Maguire was a big factor in that strategy and Maguire's departure as Tigers coach is unlikely to change the fact that Tigers kinda stink. That makes for a tricky Kiwi-NRL situation as players like Dias showcase all sorts of Kiwi-NRL wrinkles and intrigue, yet they will be developing in an NRL team that won't win many games.
Dias appears to have the size and mana to settle into consistent NRL footy. Dias could shine as a gritty worker, mopping up defensively and he seems to be an aggressive, mobile runner who could develop into a well-rounded middle forward. Maybe being at Tigers could be a benefit as Dias might be presented with ample opportunity to showcase his talents and embed himself at this level.
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