League: Souths steeling for emotional Warriors clash

The celebration of fallen Kiwi talent Sonny Fai will weigh heavily on Fai's friends in both the Warriors and Rabbitohs teams. Photo / Paul Estcourt

South Sydney captain Roy Asotasi knows he will be leading his team into an emotion-filled cauldron when they run out to face the Warriors at Mt Smart tomorrow.

Several of the Rabbitohs side knew the Warriors' Sonny Fai, whose life will be celebrated during the game.

Kiwis hooker Isaac Luke and bench man Eddy Pettybourne had played with Fai.

"I heard a lot about him and then I met him on the All Golds tour [2007]," Asotasi said. "Everyone was predicting he would be a superstar and they were right."

Souths veteran David Kidwell was among a group of Kiwis who visited the Fai home after Sonny was swept to sea at Bethells Beach.

"We definitely feel close to Sonny Fai," Asotasi said. "We feel for his family. He had a lot in front of him. It's a big loss for rugby league and Kiwis."

Asotasi missed last year's World Cup win, after 23 tests since debut in 2004, after tearing his pectoral muscle during the second-to-last round of the NRL, when in great form and sure to resume the captaincy. It was a big blow and worse followed when it was decided to "clean out an ankle" of bone chips at the same time, supposedly a minor operation.

"The ankle took far longer than the pecs to heal."

He has struggled for some time, done "extras" by himself to repair the ankle and is now 100 per cent and hoping to press for the Kiwis leadership again.

But not expecting it. "I've spoken to 'Mook' [coach Stephen Kearney] but not about the captaincy, just about how I'm going and how the other Kiwi fellas at Souths are.

"I definitely want to get back into the black-and-white. The boys raised the bar for New Zealand last year and that's how it should stay - raised. There is a lot of New Zealand talent running around in the NRL and everyone is going hard to try and get in the team after what happened last year and in the Tri Nations. We'll have a good team in the Anzac test and I hope I'm part of it."

He will be. His ground-gain is as consistent as any prop in the NRL and he also brings a speed and athleticism plus ball skills most other big frontrowers don't have. In five years at the Bulldogs he scored three tries.

In four seasons at Souths he has scored 12, three of them last year.

"I feel like I'm still learning about captaincy but I am feeling more comfortable in the role. We have a better squad this season than Souths has had for some time, it's a good balance. We needed to fill some positions and Rhys Wesser [fullback] and Colin Best [centre] have done that and I think we look like a pretty good first-grade side."

The plan was to keep a low profile, he said, but that became impossible when they walloped the Roosters 52-12 in round one. But maybe it's not such a bad thing that other sides might focus on them.

"Last season we spent too much time worrying about what other teams were doing."

Asotasi watched the Warriors/Broncos game and doesn't read much into the loss. "Lockyer just knows where to find the holes."

He expects the Warriors to come out firing. "They will be hurt by that loss, they will be disappointed and they will want to put on a good show."

Born in Auckland and educated at Marcellin College, Asotasi was talent-spotted by the Warriors assistant coach John Ackland and suggested to the Bulldogs, as was Sonny Bill Williams. His relatives will be in the Mt Smart stands tomorrow and so will those of fellow Aucklanders David Fa'alogo and Fetuli Talanoa.

Like Pettybourne and Kidwell, both from Christchurch, and Hawera-bred Luke, there are several others with New Zealand backgrounds. The under-20s squad features Sione Kaivelata, Brad Lupi, Taioalo Vaivai and Jacob Nansen, all from Auckland.

And the Lowe brothers Jaiman and Ben in the top squad were born in Toowoomba to their Kiwi mother. For Asotasi, in his third season as leader, that helps make the job a pleasure.

ROY ASOTASI

* Born January 6, 1982, Auckland,
* Junior club Marist, educated Marcellin College,
* Prop 182cm 101kg,
* NRL debut for the Bulldogs round 24 2002, 81 games to 2006, three tries, won the premiership 2004.
* Signed with Souths 2007, 51 games, 12 tries, three in 2008.
* Kiwis debut 2004, 23 tests.
* Averaged 114 metres and 25 tackles in 2008.