International rugby league serves as a celebration for Aotearoa grassroots footy as players who started with the club around the corner will lace up for Aotearoa, Samoa, Tonga and Cook Islands.
From round 10 onwards, Raiders are 4-2 and Joseph Tapine enters Aotearoa Kiwis camp fresh off his fourth consecutive game with 200+ metres.
After almost a three year absence, an Aotearoa Kiwis squad has been named and international rugby league is back to tell Australia to chill out.
Unfortunately for Shaun Johnson, his Kiwi-NRL mahi reflects the predicament Aotearoa Warriors find themselves in as they battle through the last stanza of almighty pandemic niggle.
A few weeks ago Ngaruawahia junior Morgan Harper was stuck in a niggly spot with Manly Sea Eagles and that tricky patch of adversity has seen Harper raise his mana as he settles back into starting centre mahi.
The latest NRL player to enjoy a post-Warriors glow up is North Queensland Cowboys centre Peta Hiku.
The reliability of nature is soothing and as Aotearoa enters another hearty winter, Aotearoa Warriors need a new coach.
Tokoroa's Joseph Manu and Wellington's Joseph Tapine were the two best players on the field in the Raiders win over Roosters. Both are experienced in cold footy conditions back in Aotearoa and setting the vibe for Aotearoa Kiwis footy.
When the dingoes are away, Aotearoa Kiwi-NRL mahi rises like an east coast sunrise.
11 rounds of Kiwi-NRL footy are tucked away and this means that 11 weeks of Kiwi-NRL spotlights have been served up.
Aotearoa Warriors face St George Illawara Dragons for the second time this season and as Dragons snared the victory in round tahi, Warriors will be eager to stamp their authority on the bottom eight.
The 2022 NRL season has been a grind for Canberra Raiders and as niggly as their 4-6 campaign has been so far, the steady mahi of Matthew Timoko is a funky Kiwi-NRL wrinkle.
Having risen through Rotorua's thriving rugby union and league community, Hayze Perham is now stacking up Kiwi-NRL starts with Parramatta Eels.
Aotearoa Warriors have jumped up a spot on the NRL ladder to now sit 10th, one spot behind their opponent this week South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Since making his NRL debut for Newcastle Knights in 2014, Joseph Tapine (Harbour City) has been one of the best forwards in the NRL.
With no expectations to cloud this view, Aotearoa Warriors are sitting comfy in their fringe-finals abode they know so well and now face the trendy Cronulla Sharks.
Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm are perched at the top of the NRL ladder with notable Kiwi-NRL players churning out winning mahi.
Christian Tuipulotu commanded plenty of Kiwi-NRL recruitment buzz while enjoying his grassroots footy in Auckland and recent performances for Manly Sea Eagles suggest that the Otahuhu junior is settling into his groove.
Seven games into the NRL season and Aotearoa Warriors are right where this diary pondered they would be.
After being recruited and developed by Newcastle Knights, Mt Wellington Warriors junior Starford To'a took up a summer move to Wests Tigers where he linked up with Aotearoa Kiwis coach Michael Maguire.