2022 Parramatta Eels Kiwi-NRL Breakdown
Folks know that Aotearoa is in divine alignment when Parramatta Eels make their way to another NRL Grand Final, while Gayle Broughton steers Eels wahine to an NRLW Grand Final in her first year of professional rugby league. Broughton departed Aotearoa Sevens after an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo and played NSW Women's Premiership for Mounties before starting this NRLW season at fullback for Eels.
Mounties made the semi-final, Eels made the final ... in a weird way. Eels lost their first four games and then defeated Broncos to qualify for a semi-final against the defending champion Roosters, which Eels won. Now Eels face Knights who won four games, then defeated Dragons. Hawera's Broughton averages 131 running metres per game and 5.16 tackle busts per game, while only scoring one try with one try assist.
Broughton's running threat blends in with Eels strengths though and any poor kicks with lazy chasers is pounced on by Broughton. While Broughton is unlikely to play for Kiwi Ferns at the World Cup, she is an asset to the Kiwi-NRL beat and her Sevens background will lead to swift passing/kicking development in league.
Eels provide a different angle to Panthers and despite Eels being an awesome development factory for Kiwi-NRL jokers, the Eels system is not in the same realm as Panthers.
Then again, very few clubs are running comprehensive development farms like Panthers. While Panthers won all the notable New South Wales competitions this year, Eels were 11th in SG Ball, ninth in Jersey Flegg and fifth in NSW Cup. Eels aren't among the busiest recruiters of Kiwi-NRL junior talent, although they have one of the best pieces of Kiwi-NRL recruitment in Dylan Brown. Eels also cut through with their recruitment of Kiwi-NRL talent from other clubs as Brown and Haze Dunster are the only Kiwi-NRL Eels who have wiggled through the Eels system.
Panthers picked up Kiwi-NRL juniors from Warriors via the Warriors/Redcliffe pandemic niggle. Eels like players from the Warriors system as well with Isaiah Papali'i, Marata Niukore and Hayze Perham recruited directly from Warriors. Ofahiki Ogden left Warriors for Bulldogs and signed with Eels ahead of this season.
Tracking these Kiwi-NRL Eels has been fun thanks to Eels development. Players get better at the Eels under coach Brad Arthur which is evident in Papali'i and Niukore boosting their value. They obviously benefit as individuals and Eels also benefit as they got immense contributions from Papali'i and Niukore on cheaper deals. The Eels development system ensures that those two can be replaced by cheaper Kiwi-NRL lads in Ogden and Wiremu Greig.
Greig joined Eels from Cowboys last year and got a swift opportunity before dipping back down to NSW Cup this season. Greig has a Northland connection with Brown and he played 19 games in NSW Cup this year, while Ogden played 14 games and earned a crack at NRL footy late in the season. Good things happen when Kiwi-NRL lads sit in the Eels system.
Bailey Simonsson shifted from Raiders to Eels ahead of this season and after 18 games on the wing to start the season, Simonsson dropped out of the team. Then Simonsson was called up to play centre against Cowboys and is likely to start there against Panthers, who will be hunting any weakness in Eels defence. Simonsson has already elevated to do a job for Eels and hopefully he can do it again, pushing him up the Aotearoa Kiwis depth chart.
There is a stink yarn in Makahesi Makatoa who played 23 games this season and then started in the first finals game against Raiders. Makatoa played 24 games this season compared to five games last season and his 13 games of NSW Cup last season fell to four this season. New Plymouth's Makatoa lost his bench role to Bryce Cartwright last week and now Nathan Brown is named to start ahead of both of them for the GF.
Makatoa's mana is pure though and there is no fuss. Makatoa first appeared with Bulldogs and he played five consecutive years of NSW Cup before shifting to Featherstone Rovers in England. Makatoa then moved to Eels for the pandemic phase and his development is the best low key example of improvement in Eels players.
All of which bodes well for Makatoa, Simonsson, Ogden, Greig and Perham as they grind in the Eels system. Rotorua's Perham was called up for a bench gig, then he played five games on the wing in NRL. In NSW Cup, Perham only played centre and fullback which points to his best positions and more Eels mahi will lead to clear improvements. The most notable Eels Kiwi-NRL junior is Moala Graham-Taufa who moved from Roosters to Eels mid-season. Primarily a winger, the Marist Saints junior could earn some NRL squad reps this summer and add depth to the Eels outside back department.
So many Kiwi-NRL lads joining Eels from other clubs and then there is Brown. Eels scouted Brown, they invested in him and this led to Brown making his debut as an 18-year-old. This balances out the Kiwi-NRL recruitment theme and perhaps the thread of Brown winning with Eels junior teams could be the magic required for an Eels NRL championship.
Join the Niche Cache Patreon whanau to support our kiwi sports content straight up, get a karma boost and find extra podcasts.
Every Monday and Friday we fire off an email newsletter with bonus content. Sign up here!
Peace and love.