Pacific Championships - Week 1 Watchlist

One weekend without rugby league was enough.

The Penrith Panthers won their fourth-consecutive NRL Grand Final, and with a week to simmer on their brilliance, the International Rugby League calendar has thankfully opened up.

Here, I’ve touched on Isaiya Katoa and the influence he can have on Tonga, the new-look Kangaroos spine, a Fijian forward with a career to come in the NRL, and Tarryn Aiken’s impending takeover of the women’s game.

Katoa’s creativity

Even before the Jason Taumaolo-led resurgence, Tonga has always had a big and dangerous pack. Beating them through the middle has never been easy. Boasting the likes of Taumalolo, Addin Fonua-Blake, Haumole Olakau’atu, Eli Katoa, Taniela Paseka and Keaon Koloamatangi, they’re stacked with size, speed and skill ahead of the Pacific Championship.

Where they’ve often fallen short in previous years is in the halves, but not any more.

Tuimoala Lolohea is an experienced international half at this point. Long one who jumped around positions, he’s fairly established as a half these days. Isaiya Katoa is the future, though. He has the smarts and control of the side to make the most of the mismatches this Tongan side can create.

He provided a fine example during Tonga’s tour of England last year.

Taking a long pass from dummy half to get himself onto the defender four-in, Katoa was able to isolate Kolomatangi onto the opposing halfback. The centre comes into help, but Katoa makes the right pass to Will Hopoate out the back for Tonga to score in the corner.

Tonga struggled for points throughout the series, scoring only 26 points across the three games. However, Katoa was involved in plenty.

I really liked his vision and processing speed in this one.

A Konrad Hurrell half-break down the right edge scattered the England defence and provided Katoa with his target.

He swung around a wide lead to get outside the man defending four-in. England's spacings are wide, trying to defend half of the field with only three players. Still, Katoa needs to find the right pass and does by going short to a rampaging Eli Katoa.

Tonga will need to improve on their performances in England overall. The majority of the squad playing at home this year will help. So, too, will another camp together ironing out the kinks.

The pack looks as strong as ever and there is a rare confidence in the halves this year.

Taumalolo ushered in one new era for Tongan rugby league.

Katoa can be the one to lead the next.

Kangaroos Response

It’s not a full-strength Kangaroos side, but it’s stacked nonetheless. I’m really interested to see how they respond to the 30-0 hammering they copped last year.

Harry Grant is enough to ensure they’re dangerous around the ruck and threatening through the middle. He’s a wizard out of dummy half. His deception is among the best in the game and he’s going to really test Tonga’s defensive systems. They’ve only had a week to carve them out and it won’t take long on Friday before Grant is testing them.

It’s an area England had some success in last year.

The halves pairing is exciting, too. Where neither quite has the tempo and manipulation Nathan Cleary does, both Tom Dearden and Mitchell Moses play with lethal running games.

Dearden’s control of the left edge will be dangerous from the start. While I expect Moses to play more of a middle service role alongside Dearden, his raids down the shortside are something to keep an eye on.

Those defensive systems, down shortsides this time, will be an area Moses looks to test early and often.

With Dylan Edwards at the back, Tom Trbojevic in the centres, Zac Lomax on the wing and Matt Burton onto the bench, there are some interesting wrinkles to this new-look Kangaroos side. Some of the names remain the same, but Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Isaah Yeo will be the only two Kangaroos players to wear the same jersey in back-to-back test matches.

They’re worthy favourites this week and will be throughout the Pacific Championship, but there is a little bit of pressure on Mal Meninga and the Kangaroos this year.

ICYMI: Wales v Jamaica

For the freaks looking for more footy, Wales took on Jamaica earlier this week.

Caleb Navale

Caleb Navale made his NRL debut for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles this season but has the opportunity with Fiji Bati throughout the Pacific Championships to really make a name for himself.

The 21-year-old featured 12 times for the Blackhawks at New South Wales Cup level, scoring two tries and averaging 112 running metres per game. He’s a strong carrier of football and quick enough to play further out on the edge.

I highlighted this linebreak before his NRL debut.

That’s new Tonga fullback Lehi Hopoate pushing up in support to score in that one, too.

However, it’s in his ball-playing that I think he will excel in the coming weeks.

Navale’s acceleration allows him to dig into the line, and he has a nice pass to find his half out the back of a lead. You have to respect his running game which stops the defensive line from cheating and releasing early.

Fiji will no doubt adopt an ad-lib style of play. It’s when they play their best footy. There isn’t a half-gap they won’t try to hit, and Navale will be essential to getting the ball where it needs to be.

Tarryn taking over

While Olivia Kernick’s snubbing from the Jillaroos is still mind-boggling, the potential in this squad is scary.

Tamika Upton is still the best player in the women’s game and Ali Brigginshaw is one of the best the game has ever seen. But it’s Tarryn Aiken I’m most excited to see in the coming weeks.

Aiken’s speed has always made her dangerous. She acted as the perfect foil to Brigginshaw in the halves at the Brisbane Broncos. But as the halfback of the premiership-winning Sydney Roosters, Aiken has taken her game to another level.

The Sharks made it easy for her at times in the NRLW Grand Final, but Aiken consistently found the right pass. And that’s not to say she lacked creativity, either.

Women’s rugby league has made great improvements in playing more eyes-up footy; identifying mismatches, a numbers advantage and taking short side.

Aiken has at the forefront of those improvements and laid on a beauty for Jess Sergis to score in the Grand Final. With extra numbers outside her and the Sharks winger back, Aiken picked out the defender two-in and played her outside backs into a dangerous position.

Few are more dangerous than Sergis in open space, and she scored one of the tri-colours better tries of the afternoon.

With Briginshaw beside her in the halves and Upton floating out the back, Aiken has the opportunity to stamp her authority on international rugby league in the women’s game and start to really take over from Brigginshaw as Australia’s leading half.