Player Marata Niukore

[mt.wellington]

Debutant Watch: Niukore Named For Eels​

Andre Cupido
Tue 15 May 2018, 04:50 PM

Ahead of Round 11 of the NRL Telstra Premiership, just one Intrust Super Premiership graduates has been named to get their first taste of the top grade - NSWRL.com.au takes a look Marata Niukore.

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Marata Niukore​

Club: Parramatta Eels
Position: Second-row, Prop
Age: 22
Intrust Super Premiership games played: 40
Representative honours: Nil

After a string of eye-catching performances for the Wentworthville Magpies in the Intrust Super Premiership NSW this season, Marata Niukore has reaped the rewards after being named to make his first grade debut against his former club the Warriors this Friday night at ANZ Stadium.

The New Zealand Under-20s representative joined the Eels in 2017 where he was part of the Auckland Nines squad after his first pre-season with the club and has quickly become a core part of the Magpies forward pack since his club debut last season.

His barnstorming performance against the Western Suburbs Magpies in Round 8 clearly caught the eye of Eels coach Brad Arthur, with Niukore recording 162 running metres, seven tackle-breaks and a try-assist for good measure.

Expect a spirited performance from the utility forward as the Eels look to bounce back from their hard-fought 20-12 loss to the Bulldogs on Friday night.

Debutant Watch: Niukore Named For Eels

We take a look at the only debutant named to debut in Round 11: Marata Niukore

www.nswrl.com.au

 

[mt.wellington]

Niukore signed on four-year contract from 2023​

Richard Becht warriors.kiwi
Thu 11 Nov 2021, 09:29 AM

Parramatta back rower Marata Niukore is heading back to the Vodafone Warriors on a four-year contract starting in 2023.

The 25-year-old Mangere East Hawks junior has amassed 77 NRL appearances since joining Parramatta in 2017 before making his debut in 2018.

The 188cm, 106kg Mangere East Hawks junior came through the Vodafone Warriors’ system playing for the club’s under-20 and New South Wales Cup sides before moving to Australia.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to sign Marata on a long-term deal,” said Vodafone Warriors CEO Cameron George.

“We had him marked down as one of our key recruitment targets once we were able to go to the market for players off contract after the 2022 season.

“His home is Auckland, he knows our club really well and he’s now a well-established first grader who’s going to be a key player for us. He’s a really big part of our long-term future through to 2026.”

Niukore made 21 appearances for the sixth-placed Eels in 2021 with game averages of more than 60 minutes, 100 metres, 41 post contact metres and 22 tackles.

“Marata has developed into a high quality second rower who’ll bring so much to our squad,” said Vodafone Warriors head coach Nathan Brown.

“We’ve been keeping a close eye on him and have been really impressed with the way he has developed his all-round game. It’ll be great to have him on our roster from 2023.”

A Junior Kiwi in 2015 and 2016, Niukore made 42 NYC appearances for the Vodafone Junior Warriors in 2014, 2015 and 2016. While still NYC-eligible, he played 15 games for the club’s New South Wales Cup side in 2015 and 2016. He played in three NRL trials for the Vodafone Warriors in 2015 and 2016.

Niukore was initially limited to New South Wales Cup football for feeder club Wentworthville when he linked up with the Eels in 2017, his NRL debut coming the following year when he was used off the bench against his former club, a match the Vodafone Warriors won 24-14.

Primarily used in the second row, Niukore started in the centres eight times for Parramatta this year when he covered for injuries.

MARATA NIUKORE​
Born	July 29, 1996
Birthplace	Auckland, NZ
Junior club	Mangere East Hawks
Position	Second row
Height	188cm
Weight	106kg
NRL career	Parramatta (2018-2021)
NRL debut	Parramatta v Vodafone Warriors, Stadium Australia, Sydney, May 18, 2018 (Rd 11)
NRL career	77 appearances for Parramatta (2018-2021)
NRL points	24 (6 tries)
Representative	3 Tests for Cook Islands (2017-2019), Junior Kiwis (2015-2016)

Niukore signed on four-year contract from 2023

Parramatta''s Marata Niukore signs four-year deal with Vodafone Warriors from 2023.

www.warriors.kiwi

 

[AlexM]

Recruit watch: Marata Niukore​

Corey Rosser NRL Reporter
Tue 24 Jan 2023, 06:01 AM


The NRL market has been in full swing for 2023 with several stars switching clubs ahead of the new season.

NRL.com takes a look at the major transfers and how your club will benefit from a star arrival.

Marata Niukore (Warriors)​

• Age: 26
• Position they’ll fill: Prop/second row
• Contracted until: 2026

What Niukore can bring​

Six years after leaving Auckland in search of NRL opportunities, Marata Niukore returns to the Warriors on a long-term deal which will see him become a cornerstone of their forward pack.

During his time at the Eels he amassed 96 first-grade games and became a Kiwi international, with a powerful style of play on both sides of the ball, and an ability to move seamlessly between the forward pack and centres, making him a valuable asset.

The Warriors plan to make the most of that versatility, with coach Andrew Webster confirming his intention to use Niukore as both a middle and edge forward this coming season.

Wherever he plays the Warriors will be getting a player who is going to lock down his part of the field off the ball, with Niukore boasting an impressive 92.57 percent tackle efficiency rate across his career so far.

Of the 422 tackles the 26-year-old made last season, he missed just 24, while on the ball he's no slouch either, averaging 95 metres in 2022 and scoring three tries.

Why it'll work​

A big part of signing with the Warriors was the opportunity for Niukore and his young family to be closer to family in Auckland, which he revealed after a trip home for the mid-year Test against Tonga in 2022.

With a more settled off-field life and bigger support system around him, plus the comfort of a long-term deal, there is no reason to think Niukore can't reach new levels in 2023 and beyond at Mt Smart Stadium.

The defensive skills he brings to the game will be huge for a Warriors side who leaked more points than any other NRL side last season, at an average of 29.1 per game.

The fact that he can move between the middle and edge of the forward pack will important for coach Webster too, with the Warriors lacking depth in both of those areas right now.

Recruit watch: Marata Niukore

The NRL market has been in full swing for 2023 with several stars switching clubs ahead of the new season.

www.nrl.com

 

[Toookey]

I think he's gunna have a big year for us. Has only played like 16 games in the past 3 years at lock/2nd row so really excited to see how he goes - he's got a high ceiling imo

 

[Canonball]

I think he's gunna have a big year for us. Has only played like 16 games in the past 3 years at lock/2nd row so really excited to see how he goes - he's got a high ceiling imo

I agree - excited to see how he goes - my only quibble with the article is the assumption that 'middle' means a prop role at some point - from Webster's comments I read that he may fill a hole at lock, but not necessarily prop - though the actual terms may mean something completely different under Webster's systems ? idk

 

[mt.wellington]

Gotta wonder what the Eels saw in him that the Warriors didn't all those years ago. Took him two years in reserve grade to finally cement a spot but the potential was there so why didn't the club see fit to develop it???

 

[Toookey]

Gotta wonder what the Eels saw in him that the Warriors didn't all those years ago. Took him two years in reserve grade to finally cement a spot but the potential was there so why didn't the club see fit to develop it???

You'll be saying that again in about 8 months when Eli Katoa is the best buy of the year lol

 

[mt.wellington]

You'll be saying that again in about 8 months when Eli Katoa is the best buy of the year lol

Nah. I already know what Eli is capable of. We all saw it in his debut season and the Warriors did a good job identifying him, signing him and getting him to 1st grade.

He isn't whats being discussed here.

Marata Niukore.

Why was he not even offered a contract after his U20 career with us? What did the Eels see in him during his U20s that the Warriors didn't? What did the Eels know that made them invest 2 years of development time and money into Marata that the Warriors didn't???

 

[Miket12]

Nah. I already know what Eli is capable of. We all saw it in his debut season and the Warriors did a good job identifying him, signing him and getting him to 1st grade.

He isn't whats being discussed here.

Marata Niukore.

Why was he not even offered a contract after his U20 career with us? What did the Eels see in him during his U20s that the Warriors didn't? What did the Eels know that made them invest 2 years of development time and money into Marata that the Warriors didn't???

We probably thought Niukore wasn't fast enough to turn into a winger.

 

[Cces]

How many minutes, & where, is one of the most interesting things about the squad to begin the season. Since the introduction of the 6-again rules he averages the following game time (includes playoffs):

Bench - 34.6 mins (21 games)
Second Row - 66.8 mins (8 games)
Lock - 45.2 mins (13 games)
Prop - 36.8 mins (4 games)
Centre - 79.1 mins (9 games)

 

[Defence]

Nah. I already know what Eli is capable of. We all saw it in his debut season and the Warriors did a good job identifying him, signing him and getting him to 1st grade.

He isn't whats being discussed here.

Marata Niukore.

Why was he not even offered a contract after his U20 career with us? What did the Eels see in him during his U20s that the Warriors didn't? What did the Eels know that made them invest 2 years of development time and money into Marata that the Warriors didn't???

Well looking at his 2016 nyc team they kept papalii, afoa and vuna.
There were also other young guys in the top squad in 2017 like lisone, vete, sao, sipley, jazz and James bell.
Few journey men too- gubb, gavet and satae…
Guess they just backed the wrong horse- although hindsight is a wonderful thing and there’s always the argument wether he would be the same player if he had of stayed.
So.. is it an identification (retention) issue or a development one? One and the same I suppose.
Not too sure how he ended up at parramatta- did they bring him over or did he just head to Australia chasing the dream?

 

[The Falcon]

Well looking at his 2016 nyc team they kept papalii, afoa and vuna.
There were also other young guys in the top squad in 2017 like lisone, vete, sao, sipley, jazz and James bell.
Few journey men too- gubb, gavet and satae…
Guess they just backed the wrong horse- although hindsight is a wonderful thing and there’s always the argument wether he would be the same player if he had of stayed.
So.. is it an identification (retention) issue or a development one? One and the same I suppose.
Not too sure how he ended up at parramatta- did they bring him over or did he just head to Australia chasing the dream?

Good final points Defence.
I always thought Niukore looked good in his younger days playing centre.
Talent identification has been questionable at times while many have departed on their own accord because they need to be pushed out of their comfort zone to realise their potential, case in point Papaliii and Takeahio.
For each of those we have 3 guys who were good juniors but didn’t have it to go to the next level.
Did we sign commanding juniors based on sheer raw talent and size but once they stop being bully boys and were required to be footballers they were been found to be lacking in ability and attitude?
I would have like to see Katoa under this new coaching set up and if they could realise his potential. Gaving said that they would have also had to give the green light on his move to the Storm.
I’m still excited about those coming through, I sense they will better better mentored and more motivated. Fingers crossed.

 

[mt.wellington]

Good to see Marata putting in the extras...

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