We enjoyed the Warriors' victory yesterday against the Newcastle Knights. The Warriors again defended well, and came away with a deserved 22-10 victory. And without doubt, the star of the show was The Beast, Manu Vatuvei.
Not only did Vatuvei score three tries yesterday to take his season tally to 17; he had an excellent defensive game as well, including a try-saving tackle on his opposite Akuila "The Thriller" Uate, the NRL's top try-scorer so far in 2010.
The 2010 version of Manu Vatuvei is a far cry from the man of a few seasons ago who couldn't catch and couldn't tackle. Vatuvei has worked hard on his defensive plays, and whilst he's sometimes a bit slow to turn (not surprising for a man of his size), he now has far more confidence under the high ball. And when the Warriors attack down the left-hand side, he is lethal.
The Warriors are now in 6th position, but only by virtue of an inferior points differential. They could move back to 7th after tonight's match between Manly and St George, but we can't see the Dragons losing. Such is the closeness of the ladder that the Warriors are only one win behind the second and third placed sides, Gold Coast Titans and Wests Tigers. One more win in the three-match run-in should secure a play-off berth. Three wins would give them a great shot of a home semi-final.
Thw Warriors' play-offs chances are in their own hands now, and that's the best news of all. Let's hope that the confidence with which The Beast is playing will continue to rub off on those around him, and then, who knows how far the 2010 Vodafone Warriors could go. They've done pretty darned well for a team tipped at the start of the season to win the wooden spoon! In the meantime, enjoy this glimpse into the man behind The Beast:
Part two can be viewed from a link on the first video
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