Nelson Asofa-Solomona has been a middle forward monster for eight seasons with Melbourne Storm and as the Bromwich brothers are often overlooked as influential Storm figures, it is no surprise that Asofa-Solomona's excellence also creeps under the radar.
NRLWahine footy is back for another season this year with a trio of Kiwi-NRLWahine helping Roosters defend their championship, plus Gayle Broughton is primed to takeover.
Aotearoa Warriors have had plenty of turnover in their halves department this year and Aranui junior Daejarn Asi is not only battling for game time right now, he is hunting for future opportunities.
A young bloke from Tokoroa rolled out one of the greatest international rugby league performances a few weeks ago and since then, Joseph Manu has slotted straight back into hearty mahi with Sydney Roosters.
Brisbane Broncos were upset by Tigers this weekend and while that ruined the vibe a wee bit, Marist Saints junior Deine Mariner looked far too comfortable in his Kiwi-NRL debut.
Whether it was the alignment of stars over Aotearoa or an open minded god offering divine intervention, Otahuhu's Alfred Smalley was graced with a Kiwi-NRL debut for Manly Sea Eagles.
Marist Saints junior Sitili Tupouniua was grinding through another Kiwi-NRL season with a starting edge forward spot for Tonga at the World Cup in his sights, before he suffered a major knee injury with Sydney Roosters.
Griffin Neame started this season as a low key North Queensland Cowboys trooper and apart from playing nearly every game since, nothing has changed for the Greymouth geezer.
Aotearoa Warriors now embark on the final stretch of pandemic niggle and like the elongated flu, pandemic niggle is a slow moving beast.
After starting this year in dominant fashion, perhaps even better fashion than his award-winning campaign last year, Isaiah Papali'i (Te Atatu) continues to embrace his potential with Parramatta Eels.
Kiwi-NRL mana doesn't get much more emphatic than Hornby junior Fa'amanu Brown back playing footy with Wests Tigers after a long injury break.
Marata Niukore has only played seven Kiwi-NRL games this season and those seven games have seen the Mangere East junior start in five different positions.
Xavier Willison and Deine Mariner have returned to reserve grade footy in Queensland over the past few weeks, before popping up in the Brisbane Broncos squad for this round of Kiwi-NRL footy.
The return of Aotearoa Warriors to Mt Smart was also the first time those poor ol' Aussie NRL teams had to travel outside their little bubbles and for Wests Tigers debutant Austin Dias, that's glorious Kiwi-NRL alignment.
Aotearoa Warriors return to Mt Smart to face Wests Tigers on Sunday and we all know better than to break down what might happen.
Christian Tuipulotu's debut for Tonga last weekend marked the arrival of a top notch Kiwi-NRL junior on the international rugby league scene.
There was little to learn from Aotearoa Kiwi Ferns' big win over Tonga other than the continuation of wahine rugby league's growth in Aotearoa, which is steaming towards a World Cup later this year.
Aotearoa Kiwis continue to lay down solid foundations after defeating Tonga 26-6 and the elevated level of Test footy puts Joseph Manu's performance in a whole different realm.
As part of the international rugby league extravaganza, Aotearoa Kiwi Ferns will take on Tonga and the Kiwi Ferns squad highlights the continued growth of wahine rugby league.
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.