Aotearoa Warriors Diary: NRL, NSW Cup, Jersey Flegg Round Tahi Breakdown
New Zealand Warriors start the 2024 NRL season at Mt Smart on Friday night against the Sharks and while that game will be what most folks focus on, there will also be first round games in NSW Cup and Under 21 Jersey Flegg. NZW play against their Sharks equivalents in all three grades as the NSWC lads take on Newton who are linked to Sharks and the U21s host Sharks in Pukekohe.
NRL and NSWC will be played on Friday night at Mt Smart. Sunday will be an NZW extravaganza in Pukekohe as U17 Harold Matthews and U19 SG Ball host Illawara before the U21s game. Three NZW junior teams will be playing at the same stadium and this serves as a glorious opportunity or NZW fans in the area to check in with a fabulous NZW pipeline.
NRL selections influence matters further down the pipeline as Luke Metcalf's starting role alongside Shaun Johnson bumps Te Maire Martin down to NSW Cup. Martin is joined by Chanel Harris-Tavita and while his versatility is an asset, Harris-Tavita is likely to sit outside the NRL team for the first few weeks at least.
This is amplified by Freddy Lussick getting a bench spot offering cover to Wayde Egan and as discussed in our Subscriber Pod (available to the generous folks supporting us on Patreon), NZW have a small forward bench for their encounter with Sharks. Lussick is joined by Tom Ale, Bunty Afoa and Dylan Walker on the bench and while Walker is the only 'small forward' on the bench, the other lads aren't typical big boppers. This is especially the case when compared to the Sharks bench which has big enough lads like Dale Finucane as well as big boppers Toby Rudolf and Tom Hazelton.
Coach Andrew Webster has established his preference for smaller forward who are quicker, more mobile and in the case of Walker - skillful. Usually this works out well for NZW as we saw last season and the opening game of the season provides a lovely gauge of how the NZW forward pack operates in 2024. A key marker for Ale and Aofa in this context is hitting 10m/run as this will signal that they found ways to roll forward against bigger bodies.
Other notes in the Subscriber Pod include touching on Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's involvement and Taine Tuaupiki buzzing around the footy. This yarn highlights how NZW got the footy to Tuivasa-Sheck in the trials but maybe coach Webster is keeping his tricks for Tuivasa-Sheck secret and he may unleash various shapes to get Tuivasa-Sheck away from his left edge.
The Tuaupiki intrigue revolves around his basic fullback mahi, or the Charne Nicoll-Klokstad mahi. Tuaupiki isn't Nicoll-Klokstad and he adds more speed to the role, yet NZW success is rooted in Nicoll-Klokstad's security at the back (snuffing kicks, key tackles, positioning) and his endless motor in taking tough carries. Don't look for a razzle dazzle performance from Tuaupiki, it's just about him playing the role in an excellent system.
With Tuaupiki sliding up to NRL and Martin dropping down, Ben Farr is at fullback for NSW Cup. While Farr doesn't have the upside of the other backs in NSWC, he is gathering mana in his ability to cover multiple positions and do whatever is required for NZW. Everyone in the backline has NRL ability which starts with Martin, Harris-Tavita, Ali Leiataua and Ed Kosi but don't overlook Moala Graham-Taufa and Setu Tu as lads who have NRL scope.
Jazz Tevaga, Kalani Going and Jacob Laban are all in the NSWC forward pack. Maia Sands is another versatile lad who performs admirably in NSWC and he starts at edge forward, while Tanner Stowers-Smith is an intriguing bloke who is named starting prop. Stowers-Smith was playing SGB last year before moving up to NSWC and without Zyon Maiu'u, he has a fantastic opportunity to shine as a young leader in the forward pack.
Paul Roache is at hooker and the hooker/small forward stuff in NSWC is aligned with the NRL squad as Geronimo Doyle is named on the bench as well as Dylan Tavita. Doyle could play dummy half but he's another hole-plugging NSWC servant, while Tavita has earned a NSWC through his mahi with Pt Chevalier and in NZRL National Premiership.
Tavita was previously in the NZW system playing Jersey Flegg in 2018 before moving to Queensland and like a few other lads, Tavita is a high pedigree junior who returns to NZW. The funky thing about Tavita is that he is a ruthless small forward who has a background at dummy half, but forecasts as an aggressive utility. Doyle or Tavita can give Roache a break at dummy half and the can also cover other positions, which fits nicely alongside Eddie Ieremia and Toni Tupouniua who are both big, mobile forwards.
The NZW U21 team doesn't have a dummy half named yet so it will be interesting to see who ends up in that role. Etuate Fukofuka isn't named in any team and given how the NSWC team looks, if available Fukofuka is the ideal bloke to slot into U21s. Phranklyn Mano-Le-Mamea is named at fullback for U21s and he is a sneaky lad to pay attention to as he played SGB last season before moving into Fox Memorial and NZRL National Premiership where he played a variety of positions.
Mano-Le-Mamea forms an enticing spine with Luke Hanson and Cassius Cowley, both of whom featured in the NSWC trial last week. Other SGB lads moving up are Patrick Moimoi, Salesi Piliu, Harry Durbin, Presley Seumanu-Tigafua, Ieti Samuelu, Siale Faeamani and Ben Peni. Most of these lads played against men last year after SGB and now they will into a consistent flow of U21 games, with a chance to dabble in NSWC footy.
Garry Tuilekutu and Nehemiah Amoroa played in the NSWC trial last week. Tuilekutu joins NZW from rugby union in Wellington and Amoroa recently made a switch from rugby union with Northcote to league, both are named on the wings. Daniel Smith is named at edge forward and he earns this gig through his mahi in local footy with Pt Chev, while Eli Tuli joins NZW from Queensland where he went to Marsden State High School and Keebra Park High School
The funkiest selection across all NZW grades is Toby Crosby though who is named on the U21s bench.
Crosby joins NZW from rugby union in Wellington where he came up through St Pat's Silverstream College before time with Upper Hutt RFC. We all know better than going crazy over a highlights package but Crosby has highlights from 1st 15 and premier rugby in Wellington with impressive plays in attack and defence. Crosby also has a background in wrestling which isn't common for athletes in Aotearoa but is a fantastic base for rugby league - NZW do all that wrestling training with Kai Kara-France.
There is also an NZW connection with St Pat's Silverstream brewing. Rocco Berry was recruited from his 1st 15 mahi with SPS and Maui Winitana-Patelesio has played halfback all season in SGB after playing 1st 15 for SPS as well as league.
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