New Zealand Cradle for League

According to this year’s Australian NRL media guide, which lists the birthplace of each first grade and Toyota Cup player, New Zealand has overtaken Brisbane as a cradle for rugby league top-graders, with 67 New Zealand-born players playing top grade compared to 33 from Brisbane and 54 from Queensland Country. Now that NRL talent scouts have identified the powerful physiques of young Polynesians as “must haves” in their ranks, the New Zealand impact will grow even stronger. Former New Zealand international Monty Beatham said the reason for the glut of New Zealand-aligned players was because rugby league now offered youngsters a career, and the game was riding at an all-time high after the New Zealanders toppled Australia to become world champions. “We’ve always had superior athletes in terms of size and speed, but now the coaching is a lot better,” Beatham said