Some Of Best Kiwi-NRL Junior Big Boppers To Watch Out For In 2024
While the growth of Aotearoa rugby league is most evident in the number of young play-makers entering the Kiwi-NRL mixer, Aotearoa has always produced big bopper forwards and there are plenty of keep track of heading into the 2024. Many junior squads are yet to be sussed and some of these forwards may wind up somewhere else. This is also merely a selection of notable forwards who have already made waves in Australia and in keeping with the rise of Aotearoa rugby league, all these lads are Kiwi-NRL juniors who earned opportunities in Australia through their mahi in Aotearoa.
D'Jazirhae Pua'Avase | North Queensland Cowboys
As noted in the 2023 Kiwi-NRL Juniors Who Helped Australian Teams Win breakdown, Cowboys have a production line of forwards from Aotearoa. Manurewa junior Pua'Avase is next in line behind Greymouth's Griffin Neame and after combining U21s with Queensland Cup last year, Pua'Avase played four games of Q Cup this year. This featured him at starting prop in round one which for 37 minutes and Pua'Avase is now back with Cowboys for early summer training.
Elijah Rasmussen | Redcliffe Dolphins
As a key member of Redcliffe's junior success this season, Rasmussen earned an 18th-lad opportunity for Dolphins in Queensland Cup. That's bonkers considering the former Westlake Boys High School 1st 15 player started this year in Under 18 Mal Meninga Cup where he played five games, before moving up to U21s to play 14 games. Born in England, Rasmussen could opt to represent England while also having hearty Aotearoa mana having made Aotearoa Maori representative teams since at least 2017, also cracking the 2022 Auckland Blues Under 18 Development squad. As Rasmussen was on the fringe of reserve grade while eligible for U18s, it's likely he will spend the summer with the Dolphins NRL and he could push for a taste of NRL trials.
Caius Fa'atili | Melbourne Storm
The Fa'atili brothers from Christchurch feature heavily in Niche Cache Kiwi-NRL junior yarns and older bro Caius was slowly brewing in the wider Broncos system before picking up a train/trial gig with Storm. The Hornby junior settled into Wynnum after leaving Aotearoa and after two seasons of 10+ games for Wynnum U21s with a dose of Queensland Cup last year, Fa'atili played 14 games for Wynnum in reserve grade this year. Fa'atili started at prop in his first four games and then settled as a bench forward. Given that Fa’atili was already a consistent figure in Queensland Cup and Storm have their reserve grade teams in Queensland, expect Fa’atili to earn steady minutes in Q Cup which could see him blossom as he learns the Storm system.
Sebastian Su'a | Newcastle Knights
Mt Albert junior Su'a is another young forward from Aotearoa who spent time in U21s and reserve grade. Su'a played 13 games of Jersey Flegg footy for Knights after coming off the bench for Knights in NSW Cup across their first three games. Returning to Knights NSW Cup later in the season, Su'a finished the campaign with three games coming off the bench and he then started at prop for his last three games. 10 games of NSW Cup over the season puts Su'a in a strong position where he could command NRL trial opportunities early next season.
Javahn Stevenson-Hala | Parramatta Eels
Eels continue to make nifty Kiwi-NRL recruitment moves with the addition of Stevenson-Hala to their junior ranks. Coming out of Dannevirke/Manawatu Rugby League and Palmerston North Boys High School where he played 1st 15, Stevenson-Hala was with Roosters U19 SG Ball this season. Stevenson-Hala now moves to Eels where he will add size to their pipeline and he may still be eligible for SG Ball to start next season, but he should progress through to Jersey Flegg soon enough. The most notable wrinkle here is how Kiwi-NRL juniors improve at Eels and with Turangawaewae junior Te Hurinui Twidle shining in the Eels system, Stevenson-Hala could emerge as a key forward for Eels fans to track.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
This was a quiet year for Manurewa junior Matalavea-Booth after he left Titans to join Bulldogs. Playing just two games of U21 Jersey Flegg there wasn't much to highlight from his 2023 campaign apart from scoring two tries in one of his Flegg games. As one of, if not the biggest bopper in this yarn, Matalavea-Booth could impress this summer with Bulldogs and command an opportunity in NSW Cup to start next season. His presence in Bulldogs mahi early next year will be a mandatory team list check and there is a wee chance that he earns NRL trial minutes if the stars align.
Salesi Ata'ata & Felix Fa'atili | Cronulla Sharks
A significant trend has emerged in Sharks Kiwi-NRL recruitment as they love Aotearoa's big bopper. Otahuhu junior Ata'ata played SG Ball and Jersey Flegg last year before featuring in 23 games of Flegg this season, which came after Ata'ata had spent time with the Sharks NRL squad last summer. Ata'ata is likely to earn a promotion to NSW Cup next season and that may come alongside a promotion for Hornby junior Fa'atili who had an immediate impact for Sharks after leaving Wynnum.
Seven tries in seven SG Ball games tell the Fa'atili story and he then played nine games of Flegg for Sharks, often in tandem with Ata'ata. Fa'atili was already doing the U18/U21 double in Queensland with Wynnum as he played six games of U18s and 16 games of U21s in 2022, then he repeated that dose in U19 SG Ball and U21 Jersey Flegg. The trend of Sharks recruiting big boppers from Aotearoa continues with the recent recruitment of Pharrell Gray from Rongotai College in Wellington, so we'll be keeping close tab on any more Kiwi-NRL junior forwards who pop up in the Sharks system over the next few months.
K-Ci Newton-Whare | Melbourne Storm
In his first season in Melbourne, Riccarton junior Newton-Whare played six games of SG Ball and 17 games of Jersey Flegg. Newton-Whare left Christchurch for Gold Coast where he did the U18/U21 double with Burleigh in 2022 and he has quickly settled as the most notable Kiwi-NRL junior in the Storm system. A 'Storm Academy Mid-Year Report' had this to say about Newton-Whare's mahi: "K-Ci had an interrupted start to his time here with a few little injuries, but he really shone at the Geelong Camp where he was awarded the ‘Academy Player of the Camp’. He listens and learns quickly. He is a really coachable young forward.”
Storm youngsters are usually stashed away in Queensland Cup for at least half a season with Will Warbrick spending the entire 2022 campaign in Q Cup to account for his transition from Rugby Sevens to league. Newton-Whare has already commanded U21 game time this year and he is likely to start next season in this zone for the Storm's Jersey Flegg team, with a chance of playing Q Cup at some stage next year.
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.