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.
In the glorious way that chaos often does, the mayhem of 2020 has seen New Zealand Warriors stumble upon a rather nice footy formula over the past month and a bit.
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.
Matthew Timoko is named on the Canberra Raiders bench, making him the 12th #KiwiNRL debutant of 2020 and that’s pretty crazy. Plus some monster Dylan Brown stats, while Poasa Fa’amausili, Sitili Tupouniua and Isaac Liu doing great work for Roosters, Daejarn Asi is back for Cowboys and Mason Lino’s only playing vs NZ Warriors this year.
ving touched on #KiwiNRL debutants every week with the Monday Morning Dummy Half, it's all about the #KiwiNRL debutants after round 15 as Steven Marsters and Paul Turner added themselves to hefty list of 2020 #KiwiNRL debutants.
It’s a #KiwiNRL Play-Making Fest. No Jahrome Hughes this weekend, but we still have Dylan Brown vs Storm, Jarome Luai vs Shaun Johnson, Benji Marshall vs Roosters and Kieran Foran sneaking his way up the try assisting rankings - maybe a few more vs NZ Warriors’ Aotearoa halves duo of Chanel Harris-Tavita and Kodi Nikorima?
Cameron Smith and Josh Hodgson are known as the best hookers in the NRL, not explosive nor overly dynamic but perhaps the craftiest workers around the ruck.
Amazing times for the #KiwiNRL Encyclopedia as Jordan Riki steps up for a debut with Brisbane Broncos and not only is this yet another #KiwiNRL debut, there’s plenty of young Aotearoa ballers doing great things in the NRL.
Recent Aotearoa Warriors news, specifically Phil Gould's appointment with the club should have rugby league fans around Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands rather excited.
Having wiggled through this journey of the Aotearoa Warriors with youz, the whole process of the past few years feels like a growth stage and then the emergence of the concentrated juice.
Could Blake Green’s departure unlock the boring NZ Warriors attack? Auckland’s Asu Kepaoa and Waikato’s Emry Pere are making their #KiwiNRL debuts, plus it’s a low key big round for Mangere East Hawks juniors Ofahiki Ogden and Marata Niukore who are both starting.
Fresh off a nice win over Wests Tigers, Aotearoa Warriors need some clarity in their roster to wiggle through the rest of the 2019 season and that's a rather different spot to where Shaun Johnson's chillin' with Cronulla Sharks.
Don’t buzz about Sonny Bill Williams when young #KiwiNRL forwards like Josh Aloiai, Sitili Tupouniua, Isaac Liu, James Fisher-Harris, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Marata Niukore are doing great things, plus Jordan Riki and Jirah Momoisea aren’t far away.
Quick check: how engaged have you been with Aotearoa Warriors in recent weeks?
In today's Monday Morning Dummy Half we have a focus on Tongan and women's rugby league, a few Aotearoa Kiwis matters and then sprinkle a bit of seasoning with some funky hard and fast stats.
The uso Dylan Brown takes on kaumatua Benji Marshall, Jahrome Hughes and Isaac Liu are low key delightful, while Braden Hamlin-Uele has hit a nek level in a staring role.
Haere mai to the Monday Morning Dummy Half where the MMDH debut is matched by a couple #KiwiNRL debuts thanks to rather impressive efforts from Jaxson Paulo and Daejarn Asi.
What did we learn from the Aotearoa Warriors defeating Brisbane Broncos? That these Warriors are lingering, not quite loitering with prickly intentions but lingering through the chaos and confusion to grab a win and move on to the next week.
Braden Hamlin-Uele, Josh Aloiai, James Fisher-Harris and Marata Niukore are shining as #KiwiNRL middle forwards in 2020, plus there is the battle of South Auckland’s finest in Jason Taumalolo vs Sioisua Taukeiaho.
An Aotearoa Warriors NRL season is often described as a rollercoaster and right now it feels more like a cyclone of all sorts of bits and bobs uprooted and blown all over the place.