Pause on thoughts from the win over Gold Coast as we roll through some mid-season recruitment, those crazy expectations and Ryan Hoffman's certain (??) departure from the Warriors.
Aotearoa Warriors will have a veteran forward pack lacing up against a raw Gold Coast pack and we should hope that they dominate, not expect them to dominate.
Martin Taupau may be more beastly than Jason Taumalolo, Chase Stanley is back for the Bulldogs, Tohu Harris is in the halves for Melbourne and Esan Marsters should get another NRL game for Wests Tigers.
Esan Marsters and Brandon Smith each made their NRL debuts last weekend, while Tuimoala Lolohea got his first appearance as a Tiger.
Shaun Johnson has mastered the air-swing and the Warriors were rather poor against Parramatta. Guess they hung in there and kept the game tight, yeah?
Corey Harawira-Naera continues to get plenty of game time for Penrith, Leivaha Pulu goes toe-to-toe with his #KiwiNRL toko Jason Taumalolo and we've got Melbourne's 'Kiwi Storm Gang' back in action.
Solomone Kata is back for Aotearoa Warriors as they face Parramatta Eels in Sydney on Friday night. Jah bless away wins ya?
2017 is a year of great importance for kiwi rugby league and the first half of the year hasn't been all that good. Here's hoping those involved can get kiwi rugby league trending north to finish the year.
A win's a win and the Warriors have a habit of winning when defending their Mt Smart fortress. How'd Simon Mannering influence the game? How'd Albert Vete push his case for future selection? And what made Stephen Kearney so angus?
Albert Vete is back in for the Warriors against Brisbane, so is Simon Mannering. Mannering isn't just a tackling machine, he loves a cheeky offload as well.
Why pay so much attention to State of Origin when you can imagine a future where Tamaki Makaurau vs Aotearoa play in the Battle of Aotearoa each year?
Benji Marshall is back for Brisbane, Fa'amanu Brown starts against his future club and stop complaining about the Warriors when there's all sorts of #KiwiNRL funk to enjoy.
What do the Warriors gain by holding Tuimoala Lolohea captive? Not a whole lot.
Maybe the Warriors are terrible, maybe the Warriors will make the top-eight. We've got no idea and it's rather confusing, so the Diggity Doc dives deep (real deep) into these murky waters to suss it all out.
Russell Packer has been there before, we've all been there before with these Warriors. What happens from this point, surely they can't hit level 5?
Bunty Afoa will try tidy up the middle of the field for the Warriors as they face a hefty Dragons forward pack in Hamilton. And is the Warriors spine suffering an Anzac Test hangover?
Joseph Tapine and three other forwards from Wellington will head up north for our Niche Cache Rugby League Camp.
Sio Siua Taukeiaho is back to his best for the Roosters, while Jason Taumalolo is far from his best for the Cowboys. We've also got Brandon Smith getting a wee looksie at Melbourne's extended bench.
Gold Coast Titans are on a cheeky win-streak and obviously Konrad Hurrell is playing his part with his standard beastly carries, also with some hard work though.
The Niche Cache is taking responsibility for Aotearoa rugby league and the development of Pacific Islands rugby league by inviting a select few to join us on a camp up in Aotearoa's naughty Northland. Here's the backs...