A giant in his own right: The day Big Ben met NAS
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It's not often Melbourne Storm giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona walks into a room and has to look up at someone.
But as the New Zealand national teams gathered in Auckland last October, Asofa-Solomona's eyes and neck had to do the work to make up the five centimetres Ben Te Kura, who was in camp with the New Zealand 'A' development squad, already boasts over him at 19 years of age.
Standing at 205cm, Te Kura is comfortably the tallest player in the NRL this season, ahead of Asofa-Solomona and Roosters wing Dominic Young who each measure in at 200cm.
Not that the Broncos rookie dared to bring up the topic when he got the chance to chat to 'NAS' in person, as part of a valuable week in which he got to train alongside his fellow rugby league giant.
"I would never, I value my life!" Te Kura told NRL.com when asked if he'd raised the height difference.
He is obviously a similar size to me, so I was watching the way he uses his body and stuff [in Kiwis camp]. That was good experience for me.
Ben Te Kura
"I look at those big boys and see what they do and what works well for them. I don’t necessarily want to copy it, but add it to my game my way and do as much as I can.
"I hope I can go between middle and edge like Nelson does later in my career."
As useful as his week with Asofa Solomona and the Kiwis was, Te Kura isn't exactly lacking for forward mentors at home in a Brisbane team that includes Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan.
"It is real exciting and every day I am learning from Payne and the guys. They have made me a much better player than I was a year ago," Te Kura said.
"My confidence is a big one and I am learning how to use my body and my frame. My fitness has got better, but at the same time I have got a lot heavier and stronger.
"Last year was a good year for me. In 2022 I only played three or four games in [Queensland] Cup, compared to 20 in 2023, so it was a big leap and hopefully I can take another one in 2024."
Te Kura has been included as part of a strong Broncos squad for Sunday's Pre-Season Challenge clash against the Cowboys, with coach Kevin Walters having already signaled that he could feature at NRL level for Brisbane at some point in 2024.
Match: Cowboys v Broncos
Round 1 -
home Team
Cowboys
15th Position
away Team
Broncos
2nd Position
Venue: BB Print Stadium, Mackay
But despite the excitement surrounding Te Kura, the Broncos are also treading carefully when it comes to expectations, with assistant coach Lee Briers telling NRL.com that the prop's size makes it easy to forget he's still a teenager.
"He’s so big that you don’t expect him to be so young. So we have got to be patient with him; he is only a baby really," Briers said.
"He’s still in that early stage of his career and we can’t expect him, just because he is six foot eight, to be the finished product at 19.
"He has certainly got some good skill about him and in time hopefully he will get his shot at NRL level.
"He has got a long way to go at the moment and at the Broncos we have got a very good forward pack, and Ben needs to be pushing them.
"[Going back to] Nelson, he is one of the best movers you will see for that height, that’s something Ben needs to work on with his footwork and agility.
"If he can master that then he’s going to be some footballer."
