Diary Of A Warriors Fan: The Stage Is Yours Tui Lolo
Tui Lolo, shortened for aesthetic purposes
And just like that, one of the most durable characters in the NRL got first-hand experience of how things can go pear-shaped with our NZ Warriors. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was a staple in any Roosters team since he made his debut, transitioning from the wing to fullback with ease and it was as a fullback that Tuivasa-Sheck started to stack up staggering numbers.
Mr 200, the bloke who makes 200m with ease nearly every game, the bloke who consistently takes 20 carries each game with many of them coming straight up the guts. Tuivasa-Sheck would often break the ankles of any forward he'd target, but he'd also often just cart the ball like Manu Vatuvei and that combination of sublime footy skills and an incredible toughness saw Tuivasa-Sheck soar into rare-air ... air that the likes of Jonathan Thurston breathes.
Tuivasa-Sheck returned home, back to Auckland where he had made a name for himself thanks to his antics representing Otahuhu College, joining the club who like many other union and league franchises wanted his signature out of high school. Less than 10 rounds into his first season with the Warriors, Tuivasa-Sheck did his ACL and I mean, shit, it just sucks don't it?
Major sporting injuries are like any other setback in life as you just can't afford to dwell on what's happened, especially not when your job is running into blokes who want to whack you.
This is why we honour Roger, pour some out, light one up and ride with him throughout his recovery.
The NRL season doesn't stop, the goals/aspirations don't change and we've now got to look forward to a season without one of the most widely liked footy players you'll ever encounter.
This is made a whole lot easier thanks to the lad who will replace Tuivasa-Sheck, another lad who rarely puts a foot wrong and is easily like-able ... oh, and he's just as talented. Tuimoala Lolohea has been a pleasure to watch in his NRL career thus far and I've sung his praises for a while. Lolohea was named at fullback in my 'Kiwis B' team last year and was one of the shining lights for the Warriors through a horrid end to their 2015 season.
I've blabbled on about Lolohea so much this season that I had to convince myself to do it again here, I'll try keep it succinct...
Lolohea is really good at rugby league.
Lolohea doesn't strike me as a natural athlete, he's more of a natural footy player. He's chunky, big around the hips so he's difficult to tackle, which when combined with lightning speed and footwork makes him a rugby league prototype.
Of course, Lolohea can play in the halves but that makes him perfect for fullback as NRL fullbacks these days need to offer much more than a running threat. James Tedesco's the king of the tip-on pass and his signature play has become a thing of beauty, Tuivasa-Sheck himself is highly skilled with his hands and finished the season in the top-20 try assists.
Lolohea has all the skills of a half and the running game of a typical fullback, meaning that Lolohea is the blueprint of a modern fullback just like Tuivasa-Sheck is.
Putting all the stink vibes about Tuivasa-Sheck's injury aside, I'm overflowing with excitement that we'll get to see Lolohea consistently at fullback. This is a bloke who has been shifted all over the place, filling any hole that needed filling because he's one of a few players who can legitimately play any position in the backline.
Now we get to see Lolohea enjoy some sort of consistency in a position where he can have a great influence on the Warriors' performance; he'll get more touches at crucial times.
From what I've seen of Lolohea so far, as he's done every job asked of him, I've got no reason to doubt that he'll be just as good as Tuivasa-Sheck.