Haha you are learning from a non Mormon. I have just studied a bit about religions.
289
🇹🇴
Second Row,
Active
Debut: 2024-07-06
-
Age
185
Height (cm)
100
Weight (kg)
289
🇹🇴
Second Row,
Active
Debut: 2024-07-06
-
Age
185
Height (cm)
100
Weight (kg)
Player Leka Halasima
- Thread starter mt.wellington
- Start date
- Full Name
- Salumiela Halasima
- Date of Birth
- Sep 21, 2005
- Birth Location
- Tofoa, Tonga
- Nationality
- 🇹🇴 Tonga
- Height (cm)
- 185 cm
- Weight (kg)
- 100 kg
- Position/s
- 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
- 2024
- 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
NZWarriors.com
Is it wrong that I'm wishing he'd hurry up and propose to his first wife
Hook him up with another Wahine Mormon and both teams win
NZWarriors.com
Like most Christian based Religions Mormonism sees Marriage as the higher calling, fruitful and multiply and all that.
Lots of my family are Mormons including some siblings.
With Leka, being a young Tongan guy, it will be in large part what his parents want.
Joseph Parker stuck to his boxing so....you can do whatever you want with the mission choice. Also Joseph Parker fell off the wagon I believe.
Just explained the situation to my wife and she suggested getting Leka on The Bachelor NZ in the offseason, mormon only edition. Or better yet, MAFS.Hook him up with another Wahine Mormon and both teams win
Could be worth a try, she also said we sound like the real housewives of the Warriors forum on here gossiping about player's love lives and arranging their marriages. She has a cruel tongue.
Then you’re not gonna like the second thing I learned from the podcast: he is in a long-distance relationship, and she lives in Melbourne. :/
NZWarriors.com
Alright time to bring out Brian Tamaki for a Tanah Boyd style conversion, desperate times calls for desperate measures
It’s pretty interesting that none of the other Hopoate brothers that have played in the NRL have gone on a Mormon mission since Will. Probably based on his advice.
Joe Vuna ( ex Warrior and Titan plus bro of Cooper) did his mission .
NZWarriors.com
Parker did and came back better than ever because he dropped Kevin Barry which is what David Tua failed to do....Barry turned our two greatest fighters into one dimensional fighters....glad Joe got out when he did. Can only hope Barry never goes near another one of our promising fighters again.
I really hope he gets rookie of the year because he has been sensational this year. But I fear those scummy Aussies will give it to Robert Toia who has done sweet fuck all.
NZWarriors.com
Just someone’s opinion who hasn’t stopped to think too hard. Not sure why Crichton would be 1st &, just as an example, Tallis Duncan goes into 2026 way ahead of some on that list.
NZWarriors.com
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.
Yeah but the list is meant to be about 2026, so the question shouldn’t be about performance across 2025 but more what each player takes into 2026. Obviously Katoa won’t be there. Why is Jayden Nikorima even mentioned? Marata Niukore 8th is also ridiculous.
NZWarriors.com
Those stats provided do relate to how ridiculous Angus Crichton rated 1 is though. He had a great 2024 but didn’t hit the same heights in 2025, perhaps international form has had a bearing? But I’d be picking Nanai for a big season after his showing for Samoa if that’s the case. Hard to see how Papali’i doesn’t factor? His try assists with the likes of Su’a are exceptional. Katoa in a league of his own and will be missed by storm and I rate Jacob Preston highly too
Agree with all that. However AI is useless as a measure - Papali’i 24 try assists when it should be 24 offloads haha