And Whyte, judged Dally M Prop of the year, is now at the forefront of the Kiwis\u2019 World Cup campaign. He continued his momentum with a big game against Australia, before being rested for the Cook Islands match last Sunday, ahead of Saturday\u2019s crucial clash with Fiji. <\/p>\n
\u201cI go out there with confidence and belief in myself,\u201d Whyte says. \u201cI\u2019m obviously there for a reason so I want to do what I do best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting over<\/p>\n
When Whyte sat down in January to think about his goals for 2026, he did it was a clear focus. The past is history. He was coming off a brilliant 2025 campaign, where he had stood out for the Roosters, then was a key figure for the Kiwis in their impressive Pacific Championships campaign, culminating in the gritty win over Samoa in Sydney in the final<\/a>, where he scored a try and ran for 203 metres.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on a high that whole year,\u201d Whyte recalls. \u201cSo I thought, if that was good, let\u2019s see how much better I can be. Like, what\u2019s next? When it came to 2026, it was about erasing everything and starting over. That was my mindset \u2013 start again.\u201d<\/p>\n The approach worked, as Whyte produced incredible numbers in 2026, carrying for almost 170 metres a game, including a staggering 78 post contact. But more than the statistics it was the sheer ferocity he brought, along with the work rate, often fronting for multiple carries in a set.<\/p>\n He\u2019s one of the most talked about props in the game<\/a>, with the Roosters recently extending his contract to the end of 2029. But Whyte has never forgotten his roots, or some of the hard times on his way to the top. That included the difficult trips to Australia as a teenager to attend Roosters camps, when he was homesick and didn\u2019t want to leave Auckland airport. <\/p>\n Then there was the big jolt in 2022, when he lost his way and wondered about his first grade future. He had made his NRL debut in 2021, playing three matches as a 19-year-old and expected to build on that. But it didn\u2019t happen. He stayed in reserve grade all season and at one point was demoted back to Jersey Flegg. <\/p>\n \u201cI remember getting the call that I was getting dropped,\u201d Whyte says. \u201cIt\u2019s a feeling I never ever want to feel again. It felt so wrong for me to be playing Jersey Flegg, even though it was my age grade at the time. I knew I was destined for better.\u201d<\/p>\n Whyte got tough feedback from NRL coach Trent Robinson but \u201calready knew it for myself\u201d. He had got too comfortable, taking things for granted.<\/p>\n \u201cI was probably thinking, I\u2019ve made my debut, it\u2019s automatic now,\u201d Whyte recalls. \u201cI slid away from the hard work that got me there in the first place and took everything so easy. I got a reality check, real quick and that\u2019s something I\u2019ll always be grateful for.\u201d<\/p>\n Starstruck<\/p>\n The rebound came quickly. Whyte knuckled down in pre-season and earned eight NRL appearances in 2023, before a surprise Kiwis call up from then coach Michael Maguire. <\/p>\n \u201cI remember getting a call from my manager,\u201d Whyte recalls. \u201cI was a bit starstruck, wondering does Madge [Maguire] really want me to play for New Zealand. But he [Maguire] called me straight afterwards to say he would love to have me there.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a pivotal moment, with Whyte surrounded by many of his heroes. He didn\u2019t get to play but was 18th man for all three matches.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t take the opportunity lightly,\u201d Whyte says. \u201cI was putting in the work, doing my extras, just in case one of the boys went down.\u201d<\/p>\n His international chance came the following year, making his debut in Christchurch against Australia and even getting to start<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThat was the buzziest feeling, just putting on that black jersey,\u201d Whyte says. \u201cA lot of emotions were going through my head but when it was time to play, I had to be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n That Kiwis\u2019 experience was a springboard for his coming of age season in 2025, when he played 23 NRL games and averaged almost 150 running metres a game. Whyte is young for a prop \u2013 a position where players tend to develop later \u2013 and has only 84 NRL matches under his belt. <\/p>\n The young leader<\/p>\n But he is mature beyond his years and leads a simple life, driven by a deep religious faith and a desire to spend as much time as possible with his partner Hope and their two young children (1 and 3 years old). But he has become a leader in the Kiwis environment and is highly respected \u2013 and feared – across the NRL, especially after his grand final deeds. <\/p>\n Whyte, who will be a key weapon against Fiji, is encouraged by the Kiwis progress so far, with the 24-22 loss to Australia<\/a> and the big 82-16 win over the Cook Islands. <\/p>\n \u201cEverything\u2019s rock solid,\u201d Whyte says. \u201cObviously, a few intercepts, last plays have let us down but we know our game plan, what we want to do. We know we\u2019re capable of winning this World Cup but it\u2019s about building, getting that connection every week, getting stronger and stronger and believing in our system. <\/p>\n \u201cFiji is definitely going to be a tough challenge \u2013 they are not a team to take lightly. But that\u2019s our mindset; it doesn\u2019t matter who we play, we treat every game the same. We just want to dominate \u2026 it\u2019s a do or die match. We will be leaving everything out there and going after it, trying to be better again.\u201d<\/p>\n Just as his father would want.<\/p>\n Michael Burgess<\/a> has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America\u2019s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a great example of the bond between Whyte and his parents, along with the humble values that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":646210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[64581,1975,10542,2566,221,185,4277,807,14731,231199,117,111,43,139,69,1436,6327,3502,61,3007,316620,377,80],"class_list":["post-646209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-530pm","tag-at","tag-cup","tag-fiji","tag-how","tag-is","tag-key","tag-kiwis","tag-league","tag-naufahu","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-rise","tag-rugby","tag-success","tag-to","tag-vs","tag-whytes","tag-world","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/646210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Naufahu\u00a0Whyte is one of the best props in the NRL. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
Kiwis prop Naufahu Whyte: ‘It doesn\u2019t matter who we play, we treat every game the same.’ Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n