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The mighty Kiwi threat emerging through NRL

Roar Rookie
6th March, 2008
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Where to start when compiling a list of Kiwis to watch in the National Rugby League in 2008?

New Zealand selector Darrell Williams rattles off the names: Eddie Paea, Issac Luke, Chase Stanley, Rangi Chase …

They’re but a few of the youngsters who’ve already cracked first grade, and in Stanley’s case, even debuted for the Kiwis.

Then there’s the relative no-names, yet to make the big time, of which there are hundreds.

Like Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart’s signing Karl Filiga, snapped up from the Bulldogs last year on a three-year deal worth a reported $A600,000.

At 19, he’s yet to play a first grade match but the hulking Wellingtonian, who changed his surname from McNichol to his mother’s maiden name in the off-season, has already been given the dreaded tag of “the next Sonny Bill Williams”.

Young halves Sam Stewart junior (son of the former Kiwis forward) at Gold Coast and Liam Foran at the Melbourne Storm are tipped as rising stars of the junior ranks.

Darrell Williams reckons he can’t keep up with it all.

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Recently he was watching a South Sydney trial and a player he’d never heard of, Hala Laula, was smashing everything in sight — all 1.96m and 116kg of him.

Sure enough, young Hala, 19, emerged from Auckland’s Manurewa club and followed the drift of scores of others, either with their parents or plucked across the Tasman by hungry NRL clubs.

Williams says there’s up to 12 New Zealand-eligible players at each of the 15 Australian NRL clubs.

A few will emerge from unknowns to household names in the coming months.

A year ago, Jeff Lima and Jack Afamasaga were journeymen forwards. By October they’d both played a grand final for Melbourne and Manly respectively, and Lima grabbed his debut Kiwis jumper.

For a New Zealand presence, Souths lead the way with Roy Asotasi, David Kidwell, David Fa’alogo, Luke, last year’s Junior Kiwis captain Paea, Jeremy Smith, Eddy Pettybourne and Fetuli Talanoa in their first grade squad.

There’s also veteran Nigel Vagana who is set to lead Samoa in this year’s World Cup, and a host of juniors such as Laula.

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Last year’s Junior Kiwis (under-19) squad which beat Australia included just four New Zealand-based players: Warriors Patrick Ah Van, Sonny Fai, Eddie Purcell and Scott Jones.

Now with the introduction of the NRL’s Toyota Cup (under-20) competition this year, a whole new wave of Kiwi youngsters will emerge.

The Brisbane Broncos have five New Zealand-born players in their Toyota Cup squad of 20.

The Toyota Cup salary cap is $A250,000 per team, but Australian clubs can lure Kiwi youngsters with an additional $A10,400-per-year allowance if they come from more than 100km away.

Williams, the former Kiwis and Manly centre, monitors Kiwis aspirants from his base on Sydney’s northern beaches and said the numbers were huge.

“I’m very confident the NRL playing population will be almost 50 percent Polynesian in the next 3-4 years,” he said.

“That’s something the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) really needs to take note of.”

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He is lobbying the cash-strapped NZRL to set up a Sydney office, using the likes of himself and another former Kiwi Mark Horo, who ran last year’s national squad camp in Sydney.

It would be a point of contact for youngsters, invite them to off-season camps and keep them informed of selection prospects.

Williams is worried a host of young Kiwis aspirants naturally drift towards Kangaroos selection with the lure of playing State of Origin.

“The strength of New Zealand league is in Australia now, not New Zealand.

“Within three years we could potentially have the kind of depth that the Aussies have always had…but at the moment we’re gifting all these players and they’re not being given the option.”

With the NZRL having scrapped the Kiwis coach-must-be-resident rule, new coach Stephen Kearney can at least keep closer tabs on rising stars in his job as Melbourne Storm assistant in World Cup year.

Australian Rugby League (ARL) chief executive Geoff Carr insists it doesn’t apply any pressure to young players.

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In 2006 Karmichael Hunt, Auckland-born, opted for the Kangaroos while his former Australian Schoolboys teammate Benji Marshall chose the black jersey.

Carr agrees with the NZRL having more of a presence in Sydney.

“The issue is realistic. I remember in 2005 out of the 650 kids that played in our elite (under) 16s and 18s competitions, 124 were eligible for New Zealand,” Carr says.

“It’s a significant number of Kiwi boys that get into our elite system, a lot of those with their parents living and working in Australia.

“When you add in the Samoan and Tongan kids, there’s a significant group which is increasing.”

All you can say is: watch this space.

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