Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Youngster Report vs Tigers
New Zealand Warriors lost their first NRL Pre-Season Challenge game against Tigers but a hearty performance from their long line of youngsters after Zyon Maiu'u's red card has set the tone for this season. You won't see Roger Tuivasa-Sheck mentioned again in this Youngster Report nor will you find stuff about lads are likely to feature in the top-17 to start the season, this is all about a cluster of youngsters who form one of the best depth charts in the NRL.
But first, how about the atmosphere in Christchurch? Don't make the mistake of thinking that rugby league in Aotearoa is all about the Warriors though as the Kiwi-NRL ranks are sizzling and last season started with 17,644 folks showing up in Rotorua to watch the All Stars game.
While the crowd looked bigger, the attendance number for the trial vs Tigers was 13,760 and that's not much bigger than last year's trial game vs Storm in Christchurch where 12,000 folks showed up. Folks love rugby league in Aotearoa and they loved it before NZW started the season in 2023.
The red card for Maiu'u was unfortunate, although it plunged NZW into adversity and the blokes who had to dig deep were the youngsters who battled through the second half. Maiu'u will be a fan favourite as soon as he takes a few hit ups at Mt Smart and while this red card is best delivered as a learning moment for him about controlling his vigour, there was a brief flash of the energy that Maiu'u plays with.
Before the red card, NZW scored one try and conceded two. While down to 12 players, NZ scored two tries and conceded just one. The winning difference in a game where NZW played with 12 lads for 60 minutes was a conversion. While diving deeper into their squad, the systems on attack and defence held up under pressure with the most admirable mahi coming late in the game as both teams gave game time to their youngsters.
Ali Leiataua and Jacob Laban showcased their talent which is good enough to see them play plenty of NRL footy this year. Both will need to embrace versatility though as they may not be graced with opportunities to play centre or edge forward. Leiataua has already covered fullback, wing, centre and a bit of footy in the halves while in the NZW pipeline which will carry into NRL.
All NZW juniors have 'oomph' and Leiataua has more than enough power to do a job on the wing if required. Every time Leiataua runs his momentum either sees him hit a wall and bounce back because he runs so hard, or he pokes through the line. Combine that with his skills, natural instincts and defensive ability for someone who will be brewed as a centre but could be a funky bench player.
Laban stood out with how he executed his running lines and this is the most important attacking ability for edge forwards in the NZW system under coach Andrew Webster. Edge forwards are often turned back to the middle and Laban's mobility is ideal for continuing back into tired middle forwards, or a quick switch to straighten his line outwards as he did for his try vs Tigers. Add in an aerial threat for chips across field and similar defensive mana as Leiataua; Laban is one of the best edge forward prospects in the NRL.
That may not lead to many NRL minutes this season though as Laban will wait for an injury or suspension to Jackson Ford, Marata Niukore or Kurt Capewell. Laban could earn bench minutes as a middle forward but the slow brew is probably best here, especially because NZW have ample middle forward depth that is just as funky as Leiataua and Laban.
Bunty Afoa and Tom Ale are the main bench dudes to start 2024. They are likely to play 20-30 minutes each and opportunities will arise for them to play bigger roles. The young NZW middle forwards will only be required for short stints of energy off the bench unless depth is severely tested, which makes for a lovely development staircase for these lads.
Maiu'u is first in these ranks but he may be suspended so we'll see how that plays out. Leka Halasima had a big stint in the middle vs Tigers which is enticing considering he is still Under 19 SG Ball eligible (NZW had a few U19 lads vs Tigers but they are all too good for U19 right now) and Halasima cruised through a hefty workload in the middle.
Halasima played middle, edge and covered backline positions in NSW Cup last year, while still at school. Not many NZW youngsters have more oomph than Halasima and this allows him to take on the middle forward responsibility of rugged runs, but Halasima is agile and this boosts defensive coverage as well as general efforts.
Tanner Stowers-Smith and Toni Tupouniua also had strong involvements through the middle. Stowers-Smith seems like a forward who will improve quickly with more reps playing alongside and against NRL lads as he does the stuff his comrades want. Like all NZW youngsters he ran with mana and has sneaky mobility which is a theme in how the NZW defensive system operates.
Tupouniua was the biggest forward in the NZW squad and he made his presence felt with every run. A bit older than the rest of this crew, Tupouniua could add value to the NRL squad as he has the ability to play NRL footy this year while on a contract outside the top-30. Maturity and hunger are already evident in Tupouniua's footy, which highlights the theme of NZW hitting the mark with their recruitment of players who have/or are open to returning to Aotearoa; Kalani Going, Paul Roache, Moala Graham-Taufa, Setu Tu.
Graham-Taufa snapped up his opportunity as a winger, eagerly taking runs around the ruck where his speed caught the eye. Graham-Taufa is a high pedigree Kiwi-NRL junior who is showing why Roosters had him in their system while he was still at school in Auckland. Tu could also enter the mix for NRL game time as he is a pure footy winger; instincts, footwork, freaky plays.
The other youngster in the backline was Patrick Moimoi. Moimoi commanded NSW Cup game time last year after the SG Ball season and he only had a few runs vs Tigers but his power carried into an NRL trial. Passing and defence are in Leiataua's skillset at centre, while Moimoi will need time to settle into a NSW Cup flow. Expect Moimoi to have a solid season in NSW Cup before a leap into 2025.
Not only did the scoreboard show how entertaining the last few minutes were, this was when the deepest NZW wrinkles were on show. Eddie Ieremia-Toeva got minutes at edge forward and he has scope to grow into a Niukore type forward who is equally as ruthless at edge and middle. Quinnlan Tupou had some strong runs but they mayhem of the final stanza made it tricky to suss out what position he was playing - seemed like centre.
The funkiest moves of all were Etuate Fukofuka playing middle forward with Paul Roache at hooker and the introduction of Luke Hanson.
Fukofuka had a physical impact with strong runs and dominant tackles, which overshadow his skills. This starts in 1st 15 rugby where he was a halfback which required top-notch passing and kicking, then he showed a strong running game in SG Ball and NSW Cup last year as a dummy half. Roache's speed and craft is useful in the depth chart, while Fukofuka has more versatility and he can develop his dummy half instincts with consistent NSW Cup minutes.
Hanson had a brief stint at the end but he made some tackles and had a effortless booming kick, which was apparently wind-assisted but still flew longer than any other NZW kick. Hanson played in the halves on the right edge with Ben Farr on the left edge. Farr has earned every opportunity since joining NZW last summer from Wynnum and is a solid player who could flourish into a NRL debut, however Hanson is different gravy.
If you have made it this far into the Youngster Report, tuck Hanson's name away into your NZW yarn pocket. As noted here, Hanson played SG Ball and Under 21 Jersey Flegg for Panthers last year, mainly as a half but with flashes at fullback and hooker. Hanson earned U21 game time for the best junior system in the NRL and the young play-maker followed coach Webster to NZW.
Enjoy our Kiwi-NRL coverage? Please consider supporting the Niche Cache through Patreon or with a paid Substack subscription. We drop Kiwi-NRL notes each week in our Subscriber Podcast which is only available on Patreon and Substack.
Or you can make a donation through Buy Me A Coffee.
Our Monday/Friday newsletter always has Kiwi-NRL notes too.
Peace and love.