Steve Deane: Ropati steps up to the challenge

Jerome Ropati says he's had to step up this season to balance out the lack of experience in the Warriors squad. Photo / Getty Images

It's probably a bit harsh on both of them, but this time last year Jerome Ropati looked a bit like the Michael Campbell of league.

Once a test-quality centre and pivotal member of a smoothly functioning Warriors side, Ropati lost his way badly in 2009.

Shortly after hacking his way to an 89 at the Players Championship in 2003, Campbell famously said he felt "like an alien had taken over my body and made me do these funny things with my golf swing".

As ball after ball slipped from a despairing Ropati's grasp last year, it looked more like Blind Freddy had invaded the Marist Saints' product's being.

With his confidence evaporating just a couple of months after he scored a try in the World Cup final, Ropati's career seemed to be spiralling into a serious decline.

When he eventually lost his first grade spot it seemed like his Warriors days might be numbered. A fresh start loomed as perhaps the best option for the player and the club. That line of thinking looks a bit ridiculous now.

Just over two years after his out-of-body experience, Campbell won the US Open. It took Ropati half that time to bounce back - and his comeback has been equally spectacular.

The 25-year-old centre and occasional fullback's numbers this year are remarkable. He leads the Warriors in total metres, average metres and tackle breaks. He's played one fewer game than last year but has made twice as many line breaks and has already scored two more tries.

After a shaky opening few weeks the errors that plagued his game have also dried up.

The Warriors went into the season hoping individual players would turn their form around, leading to a collective improvement. No one has lived up to that expectation more than Ropati.

The fans may have their patience tested, but coach Ivan Cleary never lost faith in Ropati. "I'm ecstatic the way he is going, but I always had a lot of confidence that he had that in him," Cleary said.

"He has reached just over 100 games and is 25 so he is probably entering his prime. Sometimes a season like he just had can be good for you and you learn a lot - and I think he has."

Like several teammates, Ropati's struggles were at least partially down to the rigours of the 2008 World Cup. He struggled with a succession of injuries, was never really fit and got found out.

A proper off-season after he was omitted from the Kiwis' 2009 Four Nations squad and better management of his finely tuned physique have helped reverse his form. Mostly, though, it is down to confidence.

"This year I really decided to get out there and have a go and for some reason things have come off for me - that builds confidence, a whole lot of confidence," he said. "I've never really doubted my ability, I think I've just tried a bit too hard.

'This year I've learned just to stick to the basics, keep relaxed and play to my strengths. I tried a lot of different things last year that just didn't come off for me. I prepared a different way. This year I have changed that."

The second-longest serving player behind Lance Hohaia, Ropati is crucial to the Warriors.

He takes the ball into contact from most scrums and carries it on early tackles out of defence. When Ropati is on song, so too usually are the Warriors.

"He has got that physique where he is really powerful, really strong in the legs and the arse," Cleary said. "Most of his runs are what you call dominant carries, where he is playing the ball before the markers are set. That is a real good quality to have, especially when the big bloke [Manu Vatuvei] is playing next to him. We get a fair roll on there."

With a host of senior players injured for long chunks of the season, Ropati has well and truly stepped up.

"I've realised that we have an inexperienced side and I've had to lead in that area, taking a lot more runs inside our red zone. Those are tough runs. A lot of our forwards are pretty tired."

Although his offensive numbers are impressive, Ropati says his major focus this season has been on leading a left-edge defence that has stiffened significantly as the Warriors have locked down the Eels, Panthers and Storm in successive weeks.

"I think I'm starting to become a genuinely consistent NRL player,' he said.

With Brent Tate departing and Ropati under contract until the end of 2012, the Warriors will be relieved that is now the case.