A former Northland College student is the latest Far North-based rugby league player to attract the interest of the Penrith Panthers National Rugby League (NRL) franchise.
Kalani Waa has been invited to visit the Sydney-based club later in the year. The Panthers will provide accommodation and training while they assess the Kaikohe 15-year-old as a potential future playmaker.
Waa and another ex-Northland College student, Tamati Leach, are at the Lowie Foundation Kick for the Seagulls sports academy in Kaitaia, established this year by Graham Lowe and run in conjunction with NorthTec. The pair travel to the academy every day, completing regular schoolwork as well as doing fitness, weights and specialist high-performance training alongside 13 other students, two of whom are female.
The Penrith Panthers already have a number of players on the roster who grew up in the Far North or spent some time there during their developmental phase, including Elijah Taylor and Sam McKendry in the top NRL team, Hokianga's James Fisher Harris in the reserves grade 3 team, who has just signed a three-year extension to his contract, and Corey Harawira Naera from Waimamaku. Naera is currently playing under-20s and has reportedly just signed a two-year extension which will see him playing in the NSW Cup next season.
