Kiwi-NRL juniors from Aotearoa continue to simmer their way through reserve grade footy in Queensland and New South Wales with a bunch of them on the cusp of NRL debuts. There have already been eight Kiwi-NRL debuts this year and this group of 20 Kiwi-NRL juniors grinding through the footy season in Australia does not include emerging talent for NZ Warriors or those who have spent most of this year in the Under 21 grades.

Here are the 20 Kiwi-NRL juniors ranked by how close they seem to NRL debuts...

Salesi Ataata (Otahuhu)
Tevita Naufahu (St Kentigern College)
Aublix Tawha (Turangawaewae)
Chris Veaila (Waitemata)
Francis Manueleleua (Papatoetoe)
John Fineanganofo (Auckland Grammar School)
Cassius Tia (Mt Albert)
Jeremiah Matautia (Otara)
Elijah Rasmussen (Westlake Boys High School)
Te Hurinui Twidle (Turangawaewae)
Tray Lolesio (Otara)
D'Jazirhae Pua'avase (Manurewa)
Fahmy Toilalo (Otahuhu)
Alekolasimi Jones (St Paul’s College)
Devante Mihinui (Glenora)
Felix Fa'atili (Hornby)
Neihana Oldham (Turangawaewae)
Sosaia Latu (Mangere East)
Haami Loza (Mangere East/Otara)
Nazareth Taua (Marist)

Salesi Ataata's move from Sharks to Rabbitohs has been fantastic for the Otahuhu junior as he has settled into a consistent NSW Cup flow as well as featuring in the wider NRL squad for Rabbitohs. The 22-year-old has started most of his reserve grade games at prop this year and his 12 games ahead of round 16 are twice as many as he played in 2024.

Ataata leads a funky crew of Kiwi-NRL juniors at Rabbitohs with Devante Mihinui (Glenora) and Nazareth Taua (Marist) sharing time between NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg Cup. Rabbitohs have been busy recruiting Kiwi-NRL juniors with Mihinui leaving Sea Eagles for a splash in the Bulldogs U21 pool earlier this year, then he moved to Rabbitohs where the middle forward has played five games of U21s and six games in NSW Cup.

Taua is mainly playing Jersey Flegg Cup as a middle forward but he has also started as an edge forward for his two games in NSW Cup this year. Taua has spent the longest time in the Rabbitohs system of this group, along with 2025 debutant Bayleigh Bentley-Hape (Moerewa), while Ataata and Mihinui were recent additions who will be joined by Moala Graham-Taufa (Marist) who moves from NZ Warriors to Rabbitohs for next season.

Dolphins entered the NRL with lots of Aotearoa flavour and that included a bunch of Kiwi-NRL juniors who moved to the Redcliffe development pipeline. 2023 NZ Schools rugby union representative Tevita Naufahu is the closest to NRL footy as he has been 18th-man for Dolphins already this season, with the potential to play a bunch of outside back positions.

Naufahu was recruited by Dolphins from St Kentigern College and after playing his first six games of Queensland Cup on the wing, he played his next two at centre followed by an appearance at fullback. All of that has come with Central Queensland where he has played alongside Elijah Rasmussen (Westlake Boys High School) and John Fineanganofo (Auckland Grammar School), who were also recruited from 1st 15 rugby.

Naufahu, Rasmussen and Fineanganofo all played Under 19 Mal Meninga Cup footy and have quickly progressed into the wider Dolphins NRL squad. Rasmussen is a middle forward who also played rugby league for Pt Chevalier while in the NZ Warriors system and Fineanganofo is brewing as a valuable bench option, capable of playing at hooker or in the halves.

Dolphins have also done nifty mahi in recruiting other Kiwi-NRL juniors like Aublix Tawha (Turangawaewae) and Tray Lolesio (Otara). Tawha has been named in wider squads for most Dolphins games this season and is in his third season playing Queensland Cup for Redcliffe, mainly as an edge forward but also playing through the middle.

Tawha has been grinding away since playing for Raiders junior teams in 2017 and popping up in different competitions before settling with Redcliffe. There is a similar recruitment yarn for Lolesio who started with the NZ Warriors SG Ball Cup team in 2020 before a few years with Wests Tigers, then he moved to Redcliffe where he has been a regular presence as a starting prop for two seasons.

Tawha and Lolesio have been the starting props for a couple games this year with Redcliffe. Along with Rasmussen they form an exciting trio of forwards rising through the Dolphins pipeline, as Naufahu covers the outside backs and Fineanganofo looks like the perfect utility player for an NRL team.

Otara junior Jeremiah Mata'utia is on the rise with Cowboys, playing in his third season of Queensland Cup. The 20-year-old middle forward has already played 11 games of reserve grade this season which is a bump on his eight games from last season, mainly coming off the bench but also starting one game at prop and one game at edge forward.

While not linked to an NRL team, Neihana Oldham is a 24-year-old middle forward who has found a steady role with Sunshine Coast in Queensland Cup. Oldham is a Turangawaewae junior who left Aotearoa for a couple years in the Knights system, then he had three years with Sea Eagles before moving up to Queensland where he played two seasons with Western Clydesdales.

Sunshine Coast have links to Storm and any time a player enters the wider Storm mixer after battling through the grades, the Kiwi-NRL radar is alerted (similar case for Cruz Lasike from Kaitaia). Oldham doesn't have the NRL connection that the other players listed here have but proximity to Storm and also has plenty of experience in Australian systems.

Bulldogs are another hot pocket for Kiwi-NRL juniors and Cassius Tia (Mt Albert) leads their Kiwi-NRL group as a play-maker who is getting experience at centre in NSW Cup. Tia is stil eligible for Jersey Flegg Cup but he has played in three NSW Cup seasons and after coming off the bench in the first two games of reserve grade this season, Tia has started five games at centre and four games in the halves.

Tia is unlikely to make his NRL debut this year with Bulldogs as they slowly develop their juniors and they have lots of depth in their halves/small forward positions. He has already found a groove with Bulldogs though and Tia seems like the ideal Bulldogs prospect thanks to his skill and tenacity.

Bulldogs also have Fahmy Toilalo (Otahuhu) and Alekolasimi Jones (St Paul's College) as forwards who have settled into NSW Cup roles. After 10+ games of Jersey Flegg Cup in three consecutive years and seven games of NSW Cup last season, Toilalo has been on the bench in six games of reserve grade for Bulldogs this year.

Jones has played more NSW Cup footy this year for Bulldogs but less games overall at this level than Toilalo. Mainly coming off the bench, Jones has got game time in the middle and at edge forward, playing 40+ minutes in six of his seven games.

Chris Vea'ila (Waitemata) appears likely to make his debut for Sharks this season but the outside back depth at Cronulla has slowed things down. Eligible for U21s prior to this year, Vea'ila is already in his sixth season of NSW Cup action after leaving Auckland to join the Knights system and he has backed up his 21 games last year with 12 games in 2025.

Starting at centre in all these games for Newtown Jets, Vea'ila is in the same development production line that saw KL Iro (Arorangi/Mt Albert) and Mawene Hiroti (Western Suburbs - New Plymouth) grow into NRL outside backs. Vea'ila probably won't be selected ahead of those outside backs so it will take some Matariki alignment of the stars for gaps to open up in the Sharks top-tier.

Sharks also have Felix Fa'atili (Hornby) and a bunch of high quality Kiwi-NRL juniors in their Jersey Flegg Cup mixer. Fa'atili has only played one game of NSW Cup this year after one game in 2024 and like their outside back department, Sharks have lots of middle forward depth so Fa'atili will be eager to find a regular role for Newtown before pushing for higher honours.

Francis Manuleleua's move from Panthers to Knights has seen him earn consistent NSW Cup game time as a starting edge forward to play 11 games this season. The Papatoetoe junior has grown into an 80-minute role for Knights and he seems likely to follow the path of Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana who was promoted to make his NRL debut this year.

Salesa-Leaumoana has played most of his NRL minutes through the middle and along the centre/wing versatility that boosts selection for outside backs, Manuleleua could benefit from playing through the middle. That would be especially funky given his background as a play-maker in Auckland but for now he is nailing down his role as an edge forward.

Knights have also bumped Sosaia Latu (Mangere East) and Haami Loza (Mangere East/Otara) up to NSW Cup. They both started the year in U19s and then moved up to U21s where they have played most of the season. Latu has played four games on the wing for Knights in reserve grade and can also play centre, while Loza has started two games in the halves.

Latu and Loza did the U19/U21 double last year, before repeating that for 2025 with some NSW Cup sprinkled in. Knights have one of the biggest Kiwi-NRL pipelines and this was on show in their U21 team last week as they had nine Kiwi-NRL juniors from Aotearoa in their team of 17, with Latu playing in NSW Cup.

Another Turangawaewae junior in Te Hurinui Twidle has transitioned from Jersey Flegg Cup to NSW Cup with Eels. Twidle spent the first phase of the season in U21s and has now played six games of reserve grade at fullback for Eels. Having already shown his ability in the halves, Twidle's classy play-making and running ability makes him a sneaky impressive Kiwi-NRL junior to watch out for, especially as he has a similar style and trajectory at Eels as Dylan Brown.

Manurewa junior D'Jazierhae Pua'avase left Cowboys to enter the Sea Eagles system and he has been a steady presence on the bench for their NSW Cup team. Sea Eagles appear to have swaped Mihinui out for Pua'avase and they have similar roles right now so that move looks a bit weird in reflection, but Pua'avase is an emerging big bopper who has rolled through 12 games of NSW Cup this year.

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