#KiwiNRL Encylopedia: Round Tekau Ma Rima
Jamayne Isaako’s out of action, Braden Hamlin-Uele is a starter and we’ve got another #KiwiNRL half back in the NRL with Northland’s Dylan Brown making a return from injury.
Jamayne Isaako’s out of action, Braden Hamlin-Uele is a starter and we’ve got another #KiwiNRL half back in the NRL with Northland’s Dylan Brown making a return from injury.
Having emphatically denied any speculation about a possible move to Melbourne Storm, Solomone Kata has signed with Melbourne Storm.
Once Tonga's initial wider squad had been narrowed down to a group of 17 for their game vs Aotearoa Kiwis, it became clear that regardless of what happened at Mt Smart on Saturday night, Tonga would be all good.
Tonight, State of Origin's game two will go down in Perth and the inter-state angst fueled by Aussies being Aussies will look nothing like Aotearoa vs Tonga.
Look past the surface-level niggle of Aotearoa vs Tonga and you'll find an intriguing contest rooted in two contrasting ways of playing footy.
Aotearoa Kiwis coach Michael Maguire has trimmed his extended squad down to a group of 19 to face Tonga on Saturday, with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak retained as skipper.
Among the representative round fixtures this weekend is a buffet of women’s rugby league headlined by Aotearoa vs Fetu Samoa.
Aotearoa Warriors grabbed a win in the NRL over Gold Coast Titans, then the reserve graders followed suit to defeat Wentworthville Magpies 26-16 yesterday while Jersey Flegg Warriors went down 24-32 to Parramatta Eels.
On the back of Tonga and Aotearoa naming their wider squads, as well as 19-wahine Kiwi Ferns squad, Martin Taupau announced that he would be returning to represent Samoa.
Well, I wanted a 'do whatever, just win the game' type of effort from Aotearoa Warriors and that's exactly what we got in their 24-20 win over Gold Coast Titans.
Aotearoa Warriors fans and casual bang-wagoners would probably, generally feel like the Warriors are a step above Gold Coast Titans in the NRL hierarchy.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has been named among a growing #KiwiNRL Bulldogs whanau, Briton Nikora faces a tough encounter ahead of Kiwis selection and some freakish numbers from Jason Taumalolo.
As we lead into Aotearoa Kiwis vs Tonga, there are still a bunch of intriguing selection moves to be made by Kiwis coach Michael Maguire.
I take it as my job to create Aotearoa Warriors optimism, which in itself is a weird old task given that I'm not relaying or passing on the optimism, I genuinely have to try and create the positive vibes.
Noise of some possible Aotearoa Warriors departures has dripped out in recent days and we have plenty of Warriors funk in the Canterbury Cup and Jersey Flegg squads selected to host Dragons and Victoria Thunderbolts respectively.
It's not completely mandatory that Aotearoa Warriors go on a sizzling run of wins during this Origin period of the season, although the Warriors definitely need to start cashing in on solid performances and a home encounter against Melbourne Storm is the starter mark of this crucial stage to the season.
Can Kieran Foran hit a nek level? Peter Hola and Emry Pere are creeping around Cowboys debuts, plus James Fisher-Harris is coming up against a hostile Roosters #KiwiNRL forward pack.
When State of Origin rolls around each year, my brain immediately flips into Battle of Aotearoa mode and the need for an annual fixture like this for men and women.
While everyone has been celebrating the Tongan rugby league revolution, Samoa has been plagued with all sorts of low key dramas from too much eating in Samoan camp to niggly political stuff that seems an issue across all Samoan sport
No NRL Warriors footy this weekend sets the scene for some intriguing selections in reserve grade, while the ever-rotating cast of Jersey Flegg lads now includes highly recruited Tongan Eliesa Katoa who will make his Warriors Flegg debut.