Tagged with: #KiwiNRL
As the Kiwi-NRL stocks grow the centre position is enjoying a rejuvenation and while Joseph Manu still sits on his perch as the best Aotearoa Kiwis centre in the NRL, two former Bulldogs have leap-frogged recent Aotearoa Kiwis centres.
Sydney Roosters have the lost their starting halfback and promoted the hottest prospect of recent memory in Sam Walker, all while their Kiwi-NRL forwards maintain Roosters excellence in their leadership and mahi.
With North Queensland Cowboys taking a dip in their Kiwi-NRL funk, Parramatta Eels are on the rise as a notable Kiwi-NRL club.
Observing Brisbane Broncos matters from Aotearoa makes one wonder how past glories don't exactly mean that everything should be supreme here and now.
Two rounds in and Benji Marshall has already proven to be one of the most influential #KiwiNRL players in the NRL, playing two different roles for the Rabbitohs.
The first round of NRL footy for 2021 served as a delightful reminder that Aotearoa Kiwis rugby league is wiggling into an exciting few months ahead of the Rugby League World Cup later this year.
Parramatta Eels will be an undercover #KiwiNRL team to keep tabs on this season as two of Aotearoa's best young players will be building in Dylan Brown and Marata Niukore.
There is no shortage of young lads from Aotearoa moving and grooving in the NRL, fresh off a 2020 campaign that saw 13 #KiwiNRL debutants.
Mention Canberra Raiders recruitment trends and most will refer back to the plethora of Englishmen who have linked up with the Raiders, while Aotearoa has provided just as many Raiders recruits as well as stacking the Raiders junior ranks younger prospects.
In a year of no international rugby league, the fact that the 2020 NRL season finished with ‘Champ Cheese’ Brandon Smith as the funkiest yarn of the year is exactly what Aotearoa rugby league required.
Regardless of where your NRL fandom sits, coming from Aotearoa there is only one way to view the Melbourne Storm club and that is as the best sports franchise in Australia/Aotearoa of our lifetimes.
Kiwi Fern Amber Hall has been utterly dominant for Brisbane Broncos wahine and their in the NRLW Grand Final vs Sydney Roosters, meanwhile the NRL Grand Final has the typically amazing Kiwi-NRL Melbourne Storm crew up against Northland’s finest James Fisher-Harris.
Canberra Raiders are blasting their way through the NRL Finals and after highlighting a wee bit of Joseph Tapine (among the three Aotearoa Kiwis monsters), Tapine repeated the dose along with the Raiders' kiwis, usos and tokos in knocking the Roosters out of Finals race.
Dylan Brown is one of busiest runners and tacklers for NRL halves, not bad for a 20-year-old lad from Northland. The Roosters have plenty of star-power, don’t overlook the work of Isaac Liu and Joseph Manu who will be key figures vs Canberra Raiders.
Aotearoa's rugby league depth has been a brewing topic throughout the 2020 season and while much of this is because of waves of young talent flowing into the NRL, there is a bit of a graduation process going down higher up the depth chart.
How clutch can CNK be in the Finals for Canberra Raiders? Plus, Siliva Havili’s bench role, Broncos women almost having as many Kiwi-NRL wahine as NZ Warriors and Nelson Asofa-Solomona is simmering for Melbourne Storm.
Jordan Riki and Corey Harawira-Naera are looking at starting edge forward gigs for 2021, Sonny Bill Williams the passing big man and all the other Kiwi-NRL funk from the final round of NRL footy.
In 2017 Hayze Perham and Tom Ale played 1st 15 rugby union and rugby league for Rotorua Boys High School, now it’s 2020 and they will play together for Aotearoa Warriors. Plus, Steven Marsters, Roosters offloads without SBW and the loss of Dylan Brown for Parramatta.
NRL seasons can be a wee bit long, perhaps a bit too long but never mind that as a long NRL season opens up various grooves for wise NRL coaches to work through and none do this better than Sydney Roosters.
Unfortunately, 2020 is also a year of attrition and while we are all trying to get through this crazy ol' year, for NRL teams it's about staying healthy as injuries ravage most squads.