League: The 'Beast' on track to try record

Specialist Multimedia Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·

19 Mar, 2015 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Manu Vatuvei has racked up 136 tries since his Warriors debut in 2004. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Wizard winger Manu Vatuvei puts his extraordinary skills down to team effort

Manu Vatuvei is on track to become one of the greatest try-scorers in the history of the NRL, and set records that may never be broken.

For a player whose merits are still debated on a weekly basis, his ongoing ability to convert opportunities into points is quite remarkable.

Heading into tomorrow's match with Parramatta, the 28-year-old has racked up 136 tries since his debut in 2004. That's more than Greg Inglis, Brett Morris, Michael Jennings and the recently departed Jarryd Hayne. Vatuvei has also surpassed luminaries such as Matt Bowen, Wendell Sailor, Brett Mullins and Darren Lockyer.

The Warriors winger is behind only Billy Slater (170 tries) and Brett Stewart (149) among active players and by the end of this season is likely to achieve something neither of that duo has managed.

Vatuvei is odds on to become the first player in NRL history to score 10 tries or more across 10 consecutive seasons, a testament to his durability.

It's extraordinary stuff, especially as Vatuvei has often been in middle-of-the-road sides at Mt Smart. Players such as Slater and Stewart have benefited from brilliant set plays at clubs like Melbourne and Manly, where they are experts at creating space for their outside runners.

The Warriors have improved their set moves over the past year but historically Vatuvei has created a lot of his own opportunities through sheer power and determination. He has become adept at scoring tries that few others could, grounding the ball millimetres from the sideline with multiple defenders hanging off him or soaring to claim a bomb. But while he loves scoring tries, he doesn't like taking praise.

"It's an awesome feeling and you want it more and more," he says of scoring. "[But] I can't take all the credit ... It is a team effort and I am lucky enough to be on the end of it.

"There are some tries that I almost do myself but most of them - about 90 per cent - were a team effort. The boys do the hard work and I just do the easy work crossing the line."

In the next few weeks he is likely to surpass Nigel Vagana (140) as the leading New Zealand try scorer in the NRL.

It's quite a story, especially as Vatuvei wasn't always prolific as a youngster at the Otara Scorpions.

"In my age grade I was usually one of the big boys so I got pretty tired," laughed Vatuvei. "I didn't do a lot of work, didn't make the long runs."

Vatuvei made his Warriors debut in 2004 but his first try for the club came the following season, in his seventh NRL game.

"It was against the Rabbitohs," said Vatuvei. "They put a bomb up to me and I caught it in the corner. That's something I'll never forget."

He scored three tries in his next two appearances and a legend had begun. He has been a constant on the left flank for more than a decade but remains highly effective, scoring 33 tries in the past two seasons. His strike rate is phenomenal.

The good news is the "Beast" feels better than ever; his training load is closely managed now, taking pressure off his troublesome knees and hamstrings. He's deceptively quick, especially over a long distance, and has lost none of his power. Crossing the line gets more difficult with every season but Vatuvei has maintained the knack.

"It gets harder, the defences are getting better," said Vatuvei. "[I used to] have a bit more time to get some speed up and beat my player. Now they come and cover you straight away. You need to find ways to get through. And when they kick across, they tend to escort me off the ball but that gives an opportunity for the guys inside to go for it."