Rugby league: Warriors trialling hip hop artist as new NRL prop

The Warriors have lured a young giant from Melbourne who supplements his modest league earnings by working as a rap artist.

By day, the 23-year-old Jamayne Taunoa-Brown is a 117kg prop who is on a training and trial deal at the Auckland NRL club.

Elsewhere he is known as Yung Maynie the hip hop and rap artist.

The drum beats are promising.

The Sydney Telegraph has reported Taunoa-Brown will be called up into Laurie Daley's Indigenous All Stars for the match against New Zealand Māori next week on the Gold Coast.

He will play alongside Latrell Mitchell and David Fifita against a Māori side including the likes of Melbourne stars Nelson Asofa-Solomona, and Jesse Bromwich.

Taunoa-Brown is an NRL pauper compared to those sorts of players. He is said to earn $1000 a week in Auckland, and is left with $500 after rent and tax.

"I have always loved music," he said. "It was always a hobby, mucking around with music with my mates at school. Over the last couple of years I started making my own tracks.

"I've got a little set-up at home, a little studio, everything I need, in a spare room."

On track...Jamayne Taunoa-Brown aka Yung Maynie. Photo / Photosport

The Warriors are going into the 2020 season with very little enthusiasm around the game for their chances, and they have missed out on a string of big name targets.

Warriors recruitment boss Peter O'Sullivan said tall prop Taunoa-Brown, named in the Warriors' NRL Nines team, has impressed.

"He has always been a player I have had time for. I thought he was the best attacking prop in Queensland Cup last year when he was with Norths Brisbane, that's beyond any doubt," said O'Sullivan, who has made some of the most famous discoveries in NRL recruitment history.

"I bought him to New Zealand to train and trial. He has been terrific and the coaches want to keep him. We are hoping to upgrade him into the top squad next year."

He played as a junior at the Melbourne Storm and Newcastle Knights before heading to Brisbane club football.

Daley was looking for reinforcements after losing props Ryan James and Andrew Fifita to injury.