Viking
I don't know sorry. We saw a lot of good young players come back to Auckland from Australia to ride out COVID and I'm guessing most have gone back by now.
Five&Last
The under 16 trial would have more potential first grade talent.
The under 18 trial would be mostly guys that don't have a contract anywhere yet after finishing school I'm guessing. Not really the greatest way to source talent (i know there are some exceptions like Tevaga etc.)
Caelys-Paul Putoko stands out in the under 18 trial. Insane potential. But he's only just turned 17 so playing up a year.
Ryaan
Five&Last
Outside back that's good on his feet. Very Roger Tuivasa-Sheck like.
Cces
What's the news? There was a 24 year old playing for the Dolphins this year with the same name
TheMorningEmu
So it is a different Liam Hampson? Still tragic all the same.
Tragedy as missing QRL player Liam Hampson found dead in Barcelona nightclub
Cces
Coops
anyone know anything about coaching pathways as it feels nz is lacking in this area too. would be good if Australian up and coming coaches had to spend a few seasons in nz as part of their pathway. would lift the standards in nz for both coaching and players...
Viking
Nice in theory but costly and unrealistic. It's not in Australia's interest to develop our junior talent, easier to cherry pick the talent that rises to the top and 90% of that are big forwards for NRL clubs that don't have a lot of Polynesian talent in their junior catchment area.
There's coaching pathways available here and some very good coaches around at all levels of the game. The majority of junior league is run by dad-coaches though and the smart ones like me, step away as soon as their kids become shitty teenagers. From what little I've seen of Aussie junior league, because the juniors are graded, clubs will allocate an experienced coach to their sides in the top divisions. It's hard to be a dad-coach at that level unless your kid is guaranteed to make the top team every year.
Auckland junior rugby league is still obsessed with playing a power game and the white boys struggle when all the kids hit puberty because some Polynesian boys hit it a year or two earlier. Auckland school rugby is the same IMO, the game is dominated by Polynesian schools and the private schools that can compete, do so because they import Polynesian players from all over. There's no way Grammar or St Peters would even be in 1A if they couldn't take South and West Auckland Polynesian boys who ironically are all league players anyway. As for club league, the ARL needs to get more white kids back to the international grades and with the higher numbers overall you'll get more talent filtering through to the Warriors reps. There's a higher percentage of white girls playing league than white boys in the comp grades for instance. My boy is part Samoan and playing reps for Auckland and Samoa but ALL of his white friends have left the game now. He came through the minis and mods with a team that had a 50/50 split of Polynesian and white players. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of Polynesian boys that have been smashed out of the game too because they didn't develop early.
I've been really impressed with some of the BOP rep teams in the junior grades, they can't rely on power so they just play more footy as a result and there's more variety in the physical makeup of the team IMO.
Last edited:
FinsUp93
The Falcon
Cces
The Falcon
Anyone go and watch the open trials last week for 16 and 18 year olds? A few pics were shown on the Warriors Instagram?
Noitall
[IMG alt="PhilGould"]https://forums.leagueunlimited.com/data/avatars/m/43/43929.jpg?1402657383[/IMG]
We've signed a couple more junior forwards from the Warriors, Elijah Salesa Leumoana & Jarome Falemoe, both on 2-year deals. Both are 18 so probably only Jersey Flegg signings.
Looks like we’ve lost a couple of juniors to the knights
PhilGould
Bench
Messages2,861We've signed a couple more junior forwards from the Warriors, Elijah Salesa Leumoana & Jarome Falemoe, both on 2-year deals. Both are 18 so probably only Jersey Flegg signings.
Looks like we’ve lost a couple of juniors to the knights
Tony Martin
No huge loss tbh. Just like the other 5 juniors the knights have signed over the last 2 years from the warriors, I’m guessing they wernt offered anything from the warriors
Noitall
Penrith junior program to inspire Warriors
By Jasper BruceDecember 2 2022 - 5:08pm
Former Tigers and Panthers assistant Andrew Webster is up for calling the shots at the Warriors. (Paul Miller/AAP PHOTOS)
New Warriors coach Andrew Webster will take cues from former club Penrith as he looks to re-energise his new side's pathways system but is warning it will take some time to parlay development into dynasty.
An assistant to Ivan Cleary in the Panthers' 2021 and 2022 premiership-winning seasons, Webster is the fifth man to coach the Warriors since the onset of the pandemic but the first with the luxury of basing the side out of Auckland.
One of the Warriors' major disadvantages in three years as nomads was being deprived of their local juniors; border restrictions forced the club's NSW Cup and SG Ball sides to withdraw from their respective Australia-based competitions.
The situation meant the Warriors needed to borrow players from other clubs when injuries mounted late in the 2020 season, with George Jennings, Daniel Alvaro and Jack Hetherington among those loaned.
But now that their first-grade team is finally home and their NSW Cup and SG Ball sides reinstated, the Warriors are poised to redouble their efforts to foster local talent under a coach with rare insight into the NRL's most fruitful junior nursery.
"Something you take is the pathways program that Penrith have installed for a long period of time," Webster told AAP.
"I just don't see why we can't generate that here in New Zealand and Auckland.
"We've got to develop our own. I'm super passionate about that."
The Warriors are already at work making the best of their return; the club is taking coaching clinics around the country, organising home stays for prospects scouted outside Auckland and have hired ex-coach Andrew McFadden as general manager of recruitment.
"The club is investing a lot of time and resources into junior development, which is exciting. I'm all for it," Webster said.
"It has a huge benefit for the future of the club and I can't wait to see it unfold."
But Webster warns not even the Panthers reaped the rewards of their junior program overnight; five and a half years passed between the opening of Penrith's $22 million academy and their 2021 premiership victory.
"These things take time," Webster said.
"One thing about the junior pathways system is that they're your future in five years' time.
"But I think being back home, if you're a kid in this country right now, you're saying, 'How cool is it that I've now got an NRL team to go and watch and that I one day want to play for'."
Since making it to the grand final in 2011, the Warriors have qualified for the finals only once but Webster says he would not put a timeline on his side's return to the post-season.
"We're not saying this is the KPI, because whatever KPI we have, it's not going to be high enough, in my opinion," he said.
"The media and the fans will set KPIs for us. All we need to worry about is winning today at training. How do we win tomorrow? Can we win the whole week?
"If we do that enough times and we do that consistently, winning every day, we'll achieve what we want to achieve."
Penrith junior program to inspire Warriors
New Warriors coach Andrew Webster will take cues from former club Penrith as he looks to re-energise his...
With this and Shaun Johnson recently saying it’s a reset for the club, sounds like we in a rebuild phase.
Last edited by a moderator:
bruce
It took the Panthers long enough, and their junior resources are probably as good as any in the NRL. However we have to start somewhere. Eric Watson did absolutely nothing.Penrith junior program to inspire Warriors
New Warriors coach Andrew Webster will take cues from former club Penrith as he looks to re-energise his...www.canberratimes.com.au
With this and Shaun Johnson recently saying it’s a reset for the club, sounds like we in a rebuild phase.
Noitall
FRANCIS MANULELEUA AND THE KIWI-NRL PANTHERS
Penrith Panthers continue to elevate their Kiwi-NRL mana with Francis Manuleleua (Papatoetoe) named in their Jersey Flegg squad, along with a bunch of Kiwi-NRL juniors.
Panthers are the best NRL organisation right now. Whether it's their Aotearoa props James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota leading the forward pack in back to back NRL championships, or Kiwi-NRL juniors featuring in Panthers SG Ball and Jersey Flegg championships this year; Panthers combine elite performance with Aotearoa appreciation.
There is plenty of Kiwi-NRL Panthers content to digest...
This yarn broke down the Panthers Kiwi-NRL flavour ahead of their grand final against Parramatta Eels.
This yarn touched on Daeon Amituanai (Whiti Te Ra) being promoted to a 'train and trial' deal with Panthers NRL squad, as well as William Fakatoumafi's move from Panthers to Roosters.
This yarn is all about Kiwi-NRL juniors who played in U18 and U21 finals in Queensland, plus U19 and U21 finals in New South Wales. Panthers made both NSW finals, so there is plenty of information about the Kiwi-NRL lads who featured in a dominant year of Panthers footy.
Now Panthers have snared Manuleleua and he completes his ascension from Papatoetoe Panthers to Penrith Panthers. Manuleleua has been among Aotearoa's best footy youngsters for a few years now, which is headlined by his presence in the midfield for King's College 1st 15. Manuleleua seems to have started his 1st 15 career in year 10 (2019) and he was a key figure in the King's College backline in the next three years.
Aotearoa's footy abundance ensures that there is immense crossover between rugby league and rugby union. Manuleleua has a background in rugby league and grew up playing footy for Papatoetoe Panthers (round a few corners from King's College). Manuleleua features in this Under 15 final below where he plays in the halves alongside Ali Leiataua (NZ Warriors), Ben Peni (NZ Warriors) and Navajo Doyle (Dragons) - Leiataua and Doyle also played 1st 15 for King's College.
Manuleleua's direct opponent in this final is Broncos centre Deine Mariner, while Marist also has Stanley Iongi (Raiders), Caleb Laiman (Bulldogs) and Sebastyan Jack (been with Warriors, not sure where he'll start 2023).
While playing 1st 15 union, Manuleleua made consecutive NZRL Under 16 Residents teams in 2019 and 2020. Both teams feature lots of Kiwi-NRL prospects and this, along with a note about Manuleleua being two years behind Leiataua in school but playing in the same U15 team, this helps to establish wrinkles of Manuleleua's talent.
Manuleleua played #6 in league and this seems like his best position moving forward, perhaps forecasting as a centre as well. Pondering how Manuleleua transitions from a 1st 15 midfielder to Panthers U21s is tricky based on other notable Kiwi-NRL juniors who played 1st 15 midfield. Demitric Sifakula went from 1st 15 midfield with De La Salle College to middle forward with Warriors-Redcliffe for example.
Presley Seumanu-Tigafua (NZ Warriors/St Peter's College), Shaye Faa'aoga (Bulldogs/Kelston Boys) and Dickie Terepo (Storm/St Kent's College) are other notable 1st 15 midfielders from Auckland who could pop up in any position as they embark on their league careers.
Another layer to this whole yarn is the NZ Warriors connection. Manuleleua captained a Future Warriors team while playing #6 back in 2019 against an Auckland Vulcans team (both teams had ample Kiwi-NRL juniors) and after this game, Brian Smith said...
A few months later, Manulelua played in the Future Warriors win over Newcastle Knights - who had just won the SG Ball championship. Early in 2020 Manuleleua was part of the Future Warriors group again and then finished that year by training with the Warriors NRL squad. Manuleleua is fairly big for a half and could shine in a bunch of different roles, yet all these notes about his junior mahi have him playing in the halves.
Panthers need some young halves. Isaiya Katoa (Wellington) started the SG Ball and Jersey Flegg finals, now he's departed to Dolphins. Niwhai Puru started alongside Katoa in the Flegg final and Puru just sealed a deal with Sharks. Both starting halves from the Flegg final have departed Panthers and they got busy in recruiting Manuleleua.
Also named in the Panthers Flegg squad for 2023 are Ilai Tuia (Randwick) and Kyson Kingi (Kerikeri) who played Flegg this year. Lleyton Finau (Marist) has shifted from Warriors-Redcliffe to Panthers Flegg as well. Panthers also flexed their funky Kiwi-NRL recruitment by grabbing Taani Fangupo (St Paul's College) from Otago to join their Flegg squad.
Fangupo played league in Auckland and then shifted south to study, where he embedded himself in the local league scene. Fangupo played for South Island in the NZRL Under 20s competition earlier this year and he started most games at centre, including the final against Akarana. This is another example of the many Kiwi-NRL routes on offer to young folks in Aotearoa and for Panthers, this is an example of their hearty Kiwi-NRL recruitment process.
Manuelelua, Kingi, Amituanai and Finau are joined by Preston Riki (Hokianga) in moving from NZ Warriors to Panthers. Tuia and Fangupo came from Aotearoa footy, while Fakatoumafi went from Warriors to Panthers to Roosters. Amituanai, Finau and Riki all played in the niggly Warriors-Redcliffe collaboration after climbing up the Warriors system, while Kingi played in some of the Future Warriors fixtures with Manuleleua.
Manuleleua probably came to the end of his junior contract with Warriors and made the same decision most folks would make in joining an illustrious Panthers outfit. Rugby league in Aotearoa goes far beyond NZ Warriors and every team loves junior talent from Aotearoa, which comes from a bloke who juggles both Kiwi-NRL and Diary Of An Aotearoa Warriors Fan angles.
Despite sharing junior teams and a reserve grade team with Redcliffe during the pandemic, NZ Warriors will be fine. They have an SG Ball squad full of local talent and for the first time since round one 2020, NZ Warriors will field a NSW Cup team solely made up of their own players. As someone who covers all Kiwi-NRL junior stuff, I have no issues with the current crop of Warriors juniors - many of whom played in Queensland’s U21s final this year.
Some NRL clubs only recruit Kiwi-NRL talent from other NRL teams, some invest their ample financial resource into Kiwi-NRL youngsters, some focus on 1st 15 talent and some get busy in the depths of Aotearoa's grassroots footy. Panthers dabble in all facets of Kiwi-NRL recruitment and Manuleleua now joins a group of Kiwi-NRL Panthers from Northland, Auckland, Wellington, even a lad who moved to Otago for his studies. Such a comprehensive spread of Aotearoa talent gives Panthers a bump in mana, after a fabulous year of Kiwi-NRL footy.
Francis Manuleleua And The Kiwi-NRL Panthers — The Niche Cache
Penrith Panthers continue to elevate their Kiwi-NRL mana with Francis Manuleleua (Papatoetoe) named in their Jersey Flegg squad, along with a bunch of Kiwi-NRL juniors.
theniche-cache.com
Good read, some about our juniors.
Last edited by a moderator:
Similar threads
Last Game
18 Mar
7.6
Total Avg Rating
6.5
Your Avg Rating
Highest Rated Player
Lowest Rated Player
Compiled from 16 ratings