Eyes on Zeb Taia

BY AARON LAWTON

RELATIVELY unknown outside the Newcastle region, Knights enforcer Zeb Taia a quiet achiever looks set to emerge from the shadows in three month's time and fufill his childhood dream by earning selection for the Kiwis.

Arguably one of the best New Zealanders in the NRL this year, Taia who prior to round 21 was the leading second-rower for line-breaks and seventh for offloads has already caught the eye of Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney.

And for good reason too given he's in the form of his life.

In fact, Kearney seems to have been so impressed, he recently called the Australian-born New Zealand passport holder, to double-check his heritage and confirm his eligibility for the Kiwis.

"It was about two months ago that he (Kearney) rang me the first time," Taia told Sunday News from his home in Newcastle.

"Steve said he was happy I had chosen to play for New Zealand. He said he was pleased with my form and to keep it up.

"He said he was looking out for me and while he couldn't promise anything, I was in the frame.

"He called me again recently to ask me a couple of questions about my heritage where I was born and where my parents were born and all that sort of stuff.

"When he called me I didn't know what to say. I was lost. It was like `Man, this is the New Zealand coach ringing me'.

"What do you say to him?"

Kearney won't pick his squad for the Four Nations, which is in the UK and France in October/November, until much later this year and hasn't promised 24-year-old Taia a black jersey.

But he has told him he's in the frame.

"Steve let me know there was a Four Nations tournament coming up at the end of the year and he said if I keep playing how I have been then I might find myself in the squad," Taia said.

"He doesn't promise anything and anything could happen between now and the end of the season.

"I have to keep doing what I'm doing. I don't want to jinx myself and get into a form slump."

Despite speaking with a distinctive Aussie twang, Taia insists he's "100% Kiwi".

He was born in Australia to Cook Island parents, who grew up in Auckland, and says he's never considered himself an Aussie.

"All of my family is from New Zealand or connected to New Zealand in some way," he said.

"I've always been a massive fan of New Zealand. I've always supported the All Blacks and the Kiwis.

"Why? Probably because I just followed what my mum and dad did.

"I could never see myself in an Australian jersey. It would be weird.

"A while back, Brian Smith my coach here at the Knights told me I had to make the choice whether I wanted to declare myself eligible for New Zealand or Australia."

In early May, Taia's sound start to the year caught the attention of City Origin selectors.

It was at that point he had to make a decision on which country he wanted to play for. The decision, it turns out, wasn't difficult to make.

"I was in pretty good form at the time and the City team was apparently throwing my name up for selection," Taia said.

"Smithy (Brian Smith) said I needed to go home, think about it and choose wisely.

"I did that and the very next day after I talked it over with my parents, I came back and told him my heart was set on playing for the Kiwis."

Taia, who started his career with the Eels but moved to the Knights midway through the 2007 season, says his good form this year is as a result of taking care of the small details.

"This year, I've really been paying more attention to the advice our coaches give me," he said.

"I do a lot of extras now.

"I've been doing Pilates to strengthen my core and that's been working for me a bit.

"It's about doing the little extras.

"They add up to make you a good footballer."

- © Fairfax NZ News