Rugby League: Man-mountain lines up Aussies

By Peter Jessup

Rugby players should be pleased that Christian Keriasiano turned his back on the game and went to rugby league.

Keriasiano, the new Junior Kiwi centre, at 120kg is the biggest man ever to play for a national league side. And he can power his tree trunk-sized thighs to a 4.9s for 40m.

Take a look at him on the burst and you do not need physics equations to tell you this guy can do some serious damage - and that is what the quietly spoken 19-year-old from Mangere is looking forward to against the Junior Kangaroos in the curtainraiser to the tri-series test at Ericsson Stadium tomorrow night.

"Yeah, hopefully," he answers when asked if he reckons his size will make a difference.

Keriasiano went straight from the Mangere College First XV to a pro contract with South Sydney, the season in reserve grade giving him the chance to press national honours despite time out with a shoulder injury.

That experience at the top level in Australian league gives both the Junior Kiwis and the senior side a lever they have never had before in the contests against the best.

All bar one of this year's Junior Kiwis are signed to NRL clubs, among them fullback David Vaeliki, who played premiership games for Parramatta this year, Kiwi Nathan Cayless' younger brother Jarrod, who had games for the Eels reserves, Wairangi Koopu and Clinton Toopi, who had starts for the Warriors, and Tasesa Lavea, who is moving to the top squad with Melbourne next season.

Lavea also had a chance in another sport, being recognised as a cricketer of exceptional talent. He was also a rugby star in age-group grades but went to the Storm last season and was sent to school with Brisbane Norths in the Queensland Cup competition.

Junior Kiwi coach Gary Kemble rates the standoff a special talent and cites him as a classic example of the strides the young players make under top coaches like Norths' Mark Murray.

Kemble's side are within a couple of kilos of the combined weight of the Kiwis, so the Junior Kangaroos are in for a bruising encounter tomorrow.

"They've gelled well. We've got a few things to work on," Kemble said, referring to deficiencies in defence exposed by a run with the Kiwis at the venue yesterday.

But he was pleased with their work and hopeful of setting the tone with a win tomorrow, but is wary of a Junior Kangaroos side who have size too, in the likes of Parramatta wing Eric Groethe jun and speed with Luke Burt.

Inside Keriasiano will be Wellington's New Zealand under-18s captain, Paul Whatuiora, after the Junior Kiwis lost out to their Australian counterparts in getting the services of Tamana Tahu, the Newcastle colts centre who has Maori and Aboriginal blood but choose to stay with the Australians after being selected for both sides.

Also in the New Zealand side are Warriors development players Shontayne Hape, Henry Fa'afili and Henry Perenara, who has had a huge year after selection for both the Junior Kiwis and Aotearoa Maori tour to Papua New Guinea.

Perenara said the experience of rubbing shoulders with the top sides was invaluable and the Junior Kiwis had appreciated the time learning with the top side.

It is a high-pressure time, with exams for his commerce degree to follow the test and ongoing negotiations to take him to full-time league professional next season.