289
Leka Halasima
🇹🇴
Second Row, Active Debut: 2024-07-06
- Age
185 Ht
100 Wt
6.4 Rating
289
Leka Halasima
🇹🇴
Second Row, Active Debut: 2024-07-06
- Age
185 Ht
100 Wt
6.4 Rating

Player Leka Halasima

Full Name
Salumiela Halasima
Date of Birth
Sep 21, 2005
Birth Location
Tofoa, Tonga
Nationality
  1. 🇹🇴 Tonga
Height (cm)
185 cm
Weight (kg)
100 kg
Position/s
  1. Second Row
Nickname
Leka, Junior
Warrior #
289
NRL Debut Date
Jul 6, 2024
NRL Debut Details
2024, Round 18, NZ Warriors v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Warriors Debut Date
Jul 6, 2024
Warriors Debut Details
2024, Round 18, NZ Warriors v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Warriors Years Active
  1. 2024
  2. 2025
College/s
Southern Cross Campus
Signed From
Southern Cross Campus
Junior Club/s
Pt Chevalier Pirates, Otahuhu Leopards
Current Club
NZ Warriors
Status
Active
Rugby League Project
https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/selumiela-halasima/summary.html
Overview instagram Gallery Player Statistics Discussion
Mr. Brownstone said:
Agree with all that. However AI is useless as a measure - Papali’i 24 try assists when it should be 24 offloads haha
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Looks like that’s the case with Su’a too. Thought that sounded high for try assists, Scott Drinkwater like
 
was rewatching the finals match against the panthers - in the first 15 min we were all over them, apart from a couple of fuck ups from boyd and a couple of pieces of genius from clearly we were the dominant side - i didn't realise this at the time - probably should have been a couple of scores up - why weren't we ? well that's also clear from the replay too - our most potent offensive player was hardly on the ball at all - when it went to Leka's side it was turned back in via Niukore - and when CHT put a few excellent high kicks up on their line Leka is well away from the middle and had no chance to get there - thus it was *probably* a mistake to have him in the centres that night - especially with the slippery conditions to start the game -- painful to see that
 
Canonball said:
was rewatching the finals match against the panthers - in the first 15 min we were all over them, apart from a couple of fuck ups from boyd and a couple of pieces of genius from clearly we were the dominant side - i didn't realise this at the time - probably should have been a couple of scores up - why weren't we ? well that's also clear from the replay too - our most potent offensive player was hardly on the ball at all - when it went to Leka's side it was turned back in via Niukore - and when CHT put a few excellent high kicks up on their line Leka is well away from the middle and had no chance to get there - thus it was *probably* a mistake to have him in the centres that night - especially with the slippery conditions to start the game -- painful to see that
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I think one thing that Halasima did do lining up there was give DWZ a heap of confidence defensively and that edge went fairly well after some poor performances, often from DWZ out of place and not managing to stop the ball going wide when he came in. Think he really impressed them all when he texted DWZ a couple of days out and told him he had his back
 
Boston Boy said:
I did an AI prompt for the best second rowers, using stats while slightly giving extra marks for trys, line breaks and try assists. AI came up with a very different list from stats analysis (Funny that it included Jayden Nikorima as a second rower???):

Statistical Analysis of Top Second Rowers in the 2025 NRL Season

To assess the best second rowers (edge backrowers) for the 2025 NRL season, I focused on key performance metrics from official and reliable sources (primarily Zero Tackle player stats, cross-referenced with Dally M positional awards and other reports). Only players classified primarily as second row (SR) with **at least 10 games played** were considered to ensure a meaningful sample.

Key stats emphasized:
- **Run metres per game** (base work rate and ball-carrying impact).
- **Line breaks** (ability to break the defensive line — weighted slightly higher as requested).
- **Try assists** (playmaking and support play — weighted slightly higher as requested).
- Other supporting metrics: tackle breaks, offloads, post-contact metres, tries scored, and defensive contributions (tackles/missed tackles where available).

A composite ranking was derived by normalizing per-game averages (to account for games played) and applying slight weighting boosts (~1.2x) to line breaks and try assists. This rewards impactful, attacking edge players while balancing base stats like metres.

Notable standouts:
- **Eliesa Katoa** dominated attacking stats (high metres, line breaks, tries ~14 reported elsewhere, post-contact metres leader among edges) and won Dally M Second Rower of the Year.
- **Hudson Young** led in run metres and shared Dally M honors.
- **Jaydn Su'A** was exceptional in try assists.
- **Isaiah Papali'i** balanced high metres with strong line breaks and assists.

### Top 17 Second Rowers for 2025 (Composite Ranking)

1. **Eliesa Katoa** (Melbourne Storm) — Elite all-rounder: 143m/game, 8 line breaks, high post-contact metres, ~14 tries, strong defence. Dally M Second Rower winner.
2. **Hudson Young** (Canberra Raiders) — Metre-eater leader: 148m/game, 9 line breaks. Shared Dally M honors.
3. **Isaiah Papali'i** (Penrith Panthers/Wests Tigers) — Balanced impact: 135m/game, 8 line breaks, 24 try assists.
4. **Jaydn Su'A** (St George Illawarra Dragons) — Playmaking standout: Exceptional 35 try assists, solid metres despite fewer games.
5. **Briton Nikora** (Cronulla Sharks) — Consistent attacker: 9 line breaks, 19 try assists.
6. **Jeremiah Nanai** (North Queensland Cowboys) — Threatening runner: Solid metres, 7 line breaks, 11 try assists.
7. **Haumole Olakau'atu** (Manly Sea Eagles) — Powerful carrier: High impact in limited games, 6 line breaks.
8. **Marata Niukore** (New Zealand Warriors) — Versatile: 7 line breaks, reliable metres.
9. **Teig Wilton** (Cronulla Sharks) — Steady contributor: 9 try assists, consistent metres.
10. **Siua Wong** (Sydney Roosters) — Emerging talent: 16 try assists, developing metres.
11. **Scott Sorensen** (Penrith Panthers) — Workhorse: Reliable in defence and metres.
12. **Viliame Kikau** (Canterbury Bulldogs) — Offload king: Led edges with ~61 offloads.
13. **Angus Crichton** (Sydney Roosters) — Strong defender and carrier (Dally M nominee).
14. **Liam Martin** (Penrith Panthers) — Tough and consistent (Dally M nominee).
15. **Leka Halasima** (New Zealand Warriors) — Rookie standout (Dally M nominee).
16. **Jayden Nikorima** (various edges, if qualified) — Noted in reports for impact.
17. **Demitric Vaimauga** (or similar volume player) — High games played, solid base stats.

This ranking prioritizes 2025 performance only, with evidence from player stats tables, Dally M results, and post-season analyses. Attacking edges like Katoa and Young rose due to the weighting on line breaks and assists, while pure workhorses ranked slightly lower.
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Ai can't do this stuff. Plus it sucks.
 
Kestrel84 said:
Halasima no longer? Now Leka Tevalu - according to Searley..
Shit - that is going to take some getting used to.
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I remember last year Leka Tavalu was tagged in a Asics(from memory) where he was with Demitric in the pic. But his official name was never changed.

Now his insta name has changed to Tavalu as well. Demi and him share so many similarities lol "Leka" is also just his nick isnt it?
 
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Might not win Dally M (but then again might.. who knows)

However, regardless if he does or doesn't, in my opinion he's the hottest prospect in the NRL by far.

What's the highest salary that a former Warrior has gone on to earn (either at the Warriors or somewhere else) cuz I have no doubt that this lad will easily smash that record.
 
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