The first round of NRL Finals features the best players competing for Aotearoa Kiwis selection and a range of Kiwi-NRL juniors who have impressed this season. An Aotearoa Warriors Diary will drop prior to their match up against Panthers which will cover all NZ Warriors angles as usual and their mahi this season has propelled their players back into the Aotearoa Kiwis mixer.

Shaun Johnson (Hibiscus Coast) and Jahrome Hughes (Harbour City) are the two halves from Aotearoa playing finals footy. There are other contenders like Kieran Foran (Ellerslie) and Dylan Brown (Hikurangi) competing for Kiwis selection but Johnson and Hughes have been playing halfback for two of the best teams this season.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (City Newton) is in a quirky selection pocket as he is fullback for NZ Warriors and his recent Kiwis mahi was at centre. Meanwhile, Tokoroa's Joseph Manu has been the main option at fullback for Kiwis coach Michael Maguire and he is starting centre for Roosters in their game vs Sharks. Manu has been exceptional at fullback for Aotearoa, but Nicoll-Klokstad could command that fullback role with dominant performances for Warriors.

Raiders offer more funk into this equation. Jordan Rapana (Porirua) is starting fullback for their game vs Knights but is usually playing wing for Aotearoa, Matthew Timoko (Otahuhu) has elevated himself to the starting centre mix for Kiwis. Timoko can form a centre combo with either Nicoll-Klokstad or Manu and the absence of Reimis Smith for Storm could offer clarity around the best centres available for Aotearoa Kiwis.

NZ Warriors have Adam Pompey (Tuakau) and Rocco Berry (Greytown) sit behind the three top-tier Kiwi-NRL centres playing finals footy. Both could feature in the Aotearoa 'A' team and if one of them can shine against Panthers, that would offer a boost for their selection cases.

Rapana is joined by Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Ngaruawahia) and Ronaldo Mulitalo (Otara) as Aotearoa Kiwis wingers in finals footy. Greg Marzhew (Mangere East) is starting wing for Knights and he is likely to represent Samoa later this year. Jamayne Isaako (Aranui) isn't playing finals footy but his goal-kicking would be an asset for Aotearoa Kiwis, leaving four main contenders for Kiwis seletion as wingers. Three are playing finals footy, the other has something Kiwis need.

Will Wabrick (Kawerau) has had a fantastic debut season for Storm and unless he leaps ahead of those four Kiwis wigners, he is likely to feature in Aotearoa A. Jesse Arthars (East Coast Bays) starts on the wing for Broncos and he bolsters the wing depth for Aotearoa with a chance for him to demand representative honours.

Fetalaiga Pauga (Glenora) could put himself in the mix for Samoa selection after a fabulous 2023 season. Pauga started in the NZ Warriors system before playing Queensland Cup and Tigers recruited him for two seasons, before shifting to Roosters. Great move for Pauga and his speed/sneaky power combination has seen him get consistent game time for Roosters.

Brandon Smith (Waiheke Island) has settled into his mahi with Roosters this season, churning out three consecutive games of 60+ minutes heading into finals. Don't worry about Smith's passing from dummy half as he delivers crisp footy to Luke Keary or Sam Walker and Walker's try last round came from a Smith scoot. Smith picks his moments to run and when he does, something good usually flows from it while also increasing his kicking as the Roosters hooker.

Phoenix Crossland (Wellington) has ties to Aotearoa and with Jeremy Marshall-King (Whakatane) and Erin Clark (Manurewa) out of action, Crossland could emerge as a depth hooker for Aotearoa Kiwis. Crossland will have to make an eligibility choice having risen through the New South Wales representative system and his form would provide a nifty dummy half combo with Smith.

Panthers have James Fisher-Harris (Kohukohu) and Moses Leota (Auckland) as their starting prop duo. Add in Raiders prop Joseph Tapine (Harbour City) for my favourite Aotearoa Kiwis middle trio. Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Lower Hutt) was again played on an edge this season for Storm but he has returned to a middle role late in the season and he is crucial in scattering defenders, creating chaos for the Storm play-makers.

Asofa-Solomona averages five tackle breaks per game. How he impacts the game against Broncos will be intriguing given the uncertainty around his role and what he is capable of, even against impressive forward packs like Broncos. If Storm defeat Broncos, Asofa-Solomona will be a major reason why.

Braden Hamlin-Uele (Glenora) has represented Aotearoa and Samoa, now starting at prop for the Sharks finals game against Roosters. Injuries and suspensions have opened up spots in the Aotearoa Kiwis forward pack that Hamlin-Uele could play himself into. Leo Thompson (Napier) has put himself in this mix as well after two seasons of consistent mahi for Knights and he has four consecutive games of 50+ minutes heading into the game vs Raiders.

Ata Mariota (Manurewa) is named to start at prop for Raiders and he has already put himself in the mix for Samoa thanks to his powerful performances this season. The Raiders forward pack is missing key players and this could provide Mariota to play a greater role than usual, which could bolster his representative case.

Jordan Riki (Hornby), Briton Nikora (Tauranga), Marata Niukore (Mangere East) and Scott Sorenson (Sydney) are all competing for Aotearoa Kiwis minutes at edge forward. Riki is yet to play for Aotearoa and finals footy could propel him ahead of these contenders, although this is a highly competitive slot for Kiwis depth. Niukore and Sorenson may line up against each other in the Panthers vs Warriors encounter.

Siua Wong (Burnham/Manurewa) is now a starting edge forward for Roosters in NRL finals. Wong has played eight NRL games and after two losses, he has played in six consecutive wins with two 80-minute efforts in that streak. Wong has already represented Fiji and is likely to take that route again with so much depth available to Aotearoa Kiwis.

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