The Kiwis and the Kumuls enjoyed great success at the first Pacific Championships. They won the Cup and Bowl finals, while the Kiwi Ferns made history by defeating the Jillaroos in the women’s tournament final.
Fan favourites in Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea were treated to a dazzling display of Pacific nations’ talents by rising performers from Fiji and Samoa.
NRL.com honours 10 players whose stocks increased on a global scale as the victors revel in their success and the players take a well-earned break at the end of a demanding season.
“Magical conclusion to a magical season,” by Jamayne Isaako
The stunning Dolphin’s 18-point performance in New Zealand’s decisive Cup final victory over Australia placed the cherry on top of an incredible 2023. Isaako, who was brought back to the Kiwi team following a four-year break, finished the tournament with 42 points from three Test matches. He also scored two tries and seven goals in the crushing of Toa Samoa. Under the direction of supercoach Wayne Bennett, the 27-year-old had a record-breaking NRL season and emanated confidence and flair.
The Charnze Clokstad, Nicoll – Courageous and intelligent
appears to be taking out a mortgage on the New Zealand team’s No. 1 shirt following an amazing performance in the Cup final, where he broke six tackles and sprinted 277 meters. In the three games the Kiwis played, CNK broke 15 tackles and ran for 539 yards, which are stats usually only seen in the best fullbacks in the league. Nicoll-Klokstad made the fullback position his own at the Pacific Championships and tortured the Kangaroos’ defence in the final—all while playing three games in the centres during the World Cup as Joey Manu stole the show in the No. 1 jersey. And he accomplished it all while suffering a fractured rib.
Edwin Ipape – The power and the passion
Having resurrected his career under Kumuls legend Adrian Lam at Leigh Leopards in the UK, the nuggety hooker capped a superb season with a standout display in the Bowl final. Playing in his ninth Test match, the 24-year-old scored the game’s opening try with a trademark surge from close range and racked up 102 run metres and seven tackle breaks. “The Kumuls jumper means everything. It’s the pinnacle of rugby league in PNG,” Ipape said ahead of the decider against the Bati, and he was good to his word with a quality performance.
Jahream Bula – Sky’s the limit
Talk about living up to the hype. The Wests Tigers whiz kid looked right at home on the big stage from the minute he strode onto Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby for his debut against Cook Islands, racking up 253 run metres and producing two line breaks. The same grace and poise that made him an instant hit in the NRL carried over to the Test arena as Bula then carved out 138 run metres and six tackle breaks in a win over the Kumuls in his second international. If the rugby league world hadn’t been put on notice in his 18 games for the Tigers n his rookie NRL season, they well and truly had been now.
Lachlan Lam – A timely reminder
On the back of a Super League season in which he set up 21 tries for Leigh Leopards and kicked the winning field goal in the Challenge Cup final, Lam controlled proceedings expertly to guide the Kumuls to glory. After laying on three tries in the first-up win over Cook Islands, the former Rooster was at his scheming best again in Sunday’s victory over the Bati that had the local fans in raptures in Port Moresby. Two years after he last played in the NRL, the 25-year-old served notice that he’s ready to g should an opportunity present itself to return Down Under.
Mele Hufanga – How good can she be?
It’s scary to think about what Kiwi Ferns centre Mele Hufanga is capable of achieving in the women’s game. Having exploded onto the scene at last year’s World Cup, Hufanga’s development was on show in the Pacific Championships after capping off her first NRLW season with the Broncos. The 29-year-old has always possessed a unique ball-running ability, with the power of a front-rower and footwork of a fullback, but her confidence and game smarts have flourished in 2023. Breaking 32 tackles in three games, 17 of which were against the Jillaroos in Week 1, there’s no limits to where Hufanga could take her game in 2024 for the Broncos.
