League: The men making the big gains

Ben Roberts of the Bulldogs. Chris McGrath / Getty Images

The removal of at least 34 players from the NRL three times during the season as players join State of Origin teams always opens holes for others and throws up some interesting new talent.

Key for New Zealand this year was the fact that the Origin series allowed some young hookers and halfbacks to get a run.

Two players, Ben Roberts from the Bulldogs and the Broncos' Greg Eastwood, were selected for the Kiwis test against Great Britain despite limited experience in the Australian premiership. Roberts acquitted himself well and Eastwood was unfortunately ruled out through injury, but both look likely to press for spots in future.

Others who have had a start in recent weeks are prop Sam Rapira at the Warriors, joining the bench in the spot usually occupied by Evarn Tuimavave who moved up to replace Maroons prop Steve Price; Bulldogs hooker/halfback Billy Ngawini; Broncos wing Fraser Anderson, the younger brother of Vinnie and Louis; half Jeremy Smith at the Eels; prop/second rower Adam Blair with the Storm; prop Willie Rasten at Canberra; centre Setimana Sa at the Roosters, and former Warriors and Junior Kiwis centre/fullback Toshio Laiseni.

The New Zealand Rugby League and its affiliated provinces and clubs all benefit financially as players progress through the ranks in Australia.

There is a set scale for development fees to be paid to the NZRL and significant shares distributed to provinces and clubs as players sign on and then when they make their NRL debut.

A Junior Kiwi, for example, commands a $7500 initial transfer fee and a $10,000 top-up when the player starts in a premiership match.

NZRL development manager Bryce Wakely said there had been a surge of interest in the Kiwis and Junior Kiwis after the Tri-Nations win last year and that there was talent aplenty coming through in lower grades in New South Wales and Queensland.

And in an encouraging development, Australian clubs were this season showing more interest in signing players and leaving them in New Zealand to complete schooling and to run in the local competition rather than ripping them away to Sydney or Brisbane.

The Warriors had been much more active than in recent seasons in talent-scouting and development, Wakely said, as shown by their recent signings of the highly rated Packer brothers Russell and Paora from Manawatu.

The Junior Kiwis assistant coach, former Kiwi Jason Williams, who lives in Sydney, has been scouring lower grades for players with Kiwi links who may be eligible for games against the Warriors development side then a Sydney SG Ball Selection based around the 2006 Tri-Nations, and some gems have been uncovered.

Among those is Shawn Kenny-Dowel, a centre/wing from the Roosters who has already represented NSW at under-16 and under-18 level.

He has contacted the NZRL to make himself available for the Junior Kiwis.

So has Brisbane-raised halfback/five-eighth Trent Iselin.

Other teenage prospects include Liam Foran, another half/five-eighth who is playing at North Sydney, Sharks SG Ball centre Tu'u Maori, former Warriors development prop/second rower Frank-Paul Nu'uasala who is at the Roosters and Tim Natsuch, a second rower from Wellington who is at Newcastle.

Billy Ngawini
(Bulldogs)
Halfback/hooker
Born: August 24, 1981, in Auckland.

Starred for New Zealand "A" in a Tri-Nations curtainraiser last year and is sure to regain representative honours.

He has a good scoot out of dummy-half, a smart passing game and the toughness required by small men in the middle of the park.

A product of the Papakura Sea Eagles, he spent four seasons in rugby with the Chiefs development squad and also made a New Zealand sevens selection camp before shifting to Sydney. He joined the North Sydney Bears and was quickly picked up by the Dogs, going on to make his NRL debut in round 10 this year.

Ben Roberts
(Bulldogs)
Halfback/five-eighth
Born: July 8, 1985, in Sydney

Made his test debut against Great Britain last month after just a couple of NRL games and showed he will be a useful contender in the future. He was not overawed by the experience and played well in a losing team. Above all, he offers something that New Zealand sides from the Warriors to Kiwis have been missing for years - a long field kick. On numerous occasions in the test, Roberts' kicks drifted just over the dead ball line but he played after two training runs and clearly struggled with the short in-goals at Knowsley Rd. He has acceleration and instinct on attack and makes few errors, while his defence is solid.

Greg Eastwood
(Broncos)
Lock/utility
Born March 10, 1987, in Auckland.

A Manurewa junior who made his NRL debut in round 26 last year and has recently cemented a bench spot after shining in top-grade this season, notably against the Warriors where he scored a double and created a third try. Eastwood was man-of-the match in the Junior Kiwis' convincing third test win over the Australian schoolboys last year. He was selected for the Kiwis team for the game against Great Britain in June but withdrew after suffering a hamstring strain in round 16. A former five-eighth who has played at centre, the Broncos view Eastwood as a lock and rate him highly for his range of ball skills, good footwork, vision for the gap and toughness.

Fraser Anderson
(Broncos)
Wing/centre
Born: April 20, 1984, in Auckland.

1.90m and 103kg Anderson also offers pace and therefore a potent attacking weapon out wide. He began his league career at East Coast Bays but it was interrupted while he completed two years of Mormon mission in the Philippines. Many observers rate him as the best of the three Anderson brothers, Vinnie and Louis having already made the Kiwis. Fraser has had two NRL games and faces stiff competition from another New Zealander, Tame Tupou, and a host of others including Leon Bott and Darius Boyd. If he can secure a starting spot at the Broncos, he's a sure thing for the Kiwis.

Adam Blair
(Storm)
Prop
Born March 10, 1986, in Auckland.

Played rugby until age 16. After just a few games of league, he was selected for the Junior Kiwis to play in Australia in 2003. Blair showed out and was picked up by the Storm and shifted to Brisbane to play for feeder club Norths. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy rates Blair for game awareness, good ball skills and good footwork as well as hard hitting in defence. He made his debut from the bench this season and has six NRL games behind him.