Aranga rising star but heart still in Canterbury

BY TONY SMITH

Linwood lad Johnny Aranga might be playing for the Auckland Vulcans in a trans-Tasman competition, but he remains a Cantabrian to the core.

The New Zealand Residents rugby league representative completed his first season in the New South Wales Cup when the Vulcans beat the North Sydney Bears 38-22 in Sydney on Saturday.

But the Auckland side, which serves as a support team for the Warriors, held their prizegiving last week.

"We were told to bring club shirts or jackets," Aranga said. His teammates sported the colours of Mt Albert, Te Atatau, Otahuhu et al.

Aranga accepted his Vulcans Rookie of the Year award in his Canterbury Bulls jacket.

"It turned a few heads, but it shows exactly what Canterbury still means to me."

Aranga, 24, migrated north after helping the Bulls win the 2009 national provincial premiership title against archrivals Auckland. He had had a taste of a semi-professional competition after a short stint with Brisbane's Norths club in the Queensland Cup in 2008 – and he wanted more.

The chance to play for the Vulcans, alongside and against National Rugby League players, was "definitely a drawcard" for Auckland.

Aranga has enjoyed the experience, although he is disappointed "that we've missed out on the playoffs". The Vulcans were ninth in the 12-team league, with the top eight qualifying for the finals series.

The Vulcans – funded by the Auckland Rugby League – are a mix of Warriors' fringe players, professionals who train fulltime under Ivan Cleary, and part-timers who hold down day jobs.

Aranga juggles his work as a community support worker in the Pacific Island mental-health sector with three evening training sessions a week. It can be "quite demanding, especially in the weeks when we're travelling away", he says.

Every fortnight, the Vulcans leave for Sydney on a Friday, play Saturday and return home Sunday. Then, it's back to work Monday.

But Aranga is "really enjoying" the regime.

"It's a big step up [from the Bulls], but it's pretty good learning experience for me, footy-wise. I've been able to test myself against some pretty strong opposition."

Aranga missed the first game with a hamstring tweak but has since played 24 consecutive games.

He cemented himself as the first-choice fullback, although he "had to shift to the wing for a few games when [Warriors] Kevin Locke and Wade McKinnon came down from first grade".

The Cantabrian has contributed 15 tries – second only to skipper and scrumhalf Pita Godinet, who is joint top try scorer in the NSW Cup with 23 touchdowns.

NSW Cup clubs feed NRL organisations and Aranga finds himself up against "some pretty well-known" NRL players most weeks. He is also played with men such as McKinnon, Locke, Patrick Ah Van, Sione Lousi, Alehana Mara, Isaac John, Jacob Lilyman and Jeremy Latimore, who have all seen first-grade action for the Warriors this season.

The "rise in professionalism" required a period of adjustment for Aranga, but he has relished the "more structured, more tactical" challenge.

He did not spend long enough in the Queensland Cup to make categoric comparisons with the NSW Cup competition. But he said there were more NRL players in the NSW league and he thought it was "just as strong" as the Brisbane-based championship.

Aranga has enjoyed the coaching of Vulcans mentor Brent Gemmell, "a proud Mt Albert club man, who's adapted well to this environment and taught us a few new tricks."

But, equally, he believes South Island coach Brent Stuart, his former boss at the Bulls, "would be good at this level. His [NRL and test football] experience would be beneficial."

Aranga recommends the Vulcans experience to any Canterbury players.

"If you in the right frame of mind and are prepared to put in some hard work, it's definitely a good move."

It also potentially puts players in the NRL shop window. "You never know who's watching."

Aranga intends to have one more season with the Vulcans while he completes his studies in Auckland and then look to go abroad again.

"There are no official plans yet but I'll probably be heading to the northern hemisphere."

- © Fairfax NZ News