League: There's nowhere to hide so Meli comes out of the shadows

When the fax arrived at Warriors HQ moments before the team was announced to the media, Francis Meli was already fearing the worst.

Despite having played 15 tests since his debut in 2001, the 26-year-old winger knew his name wouldn't be on that list. Players know when they're not playing well and, as much as they hope others don't notice, it was too much for Meli to expect he would be named in the Kiwis side to face Australia in the Anzac test.

"When your name's not there, you know why," Meli says quietly. "You can't kid yourself when your form's not up to scratch.

"You're always going to be disappointed to miss out on the black jersey but there were better players in my place over the last five weeks and they deserved the opportunity."

Meli gets another chance to rediscover the form that once saw him famously score five tries in a 2003 playoffs game against the Bulldogs when he lines up against the Panthers today.

Warriors coach Tony Kemp has a lot of faith in the powerful winger and he was rewarded when Meli scored the late matchwinner in the 30-26 win over the Knights in Newcastle a fortnight ago.

It might have been a try Meli would expect to score every time, but to say it was a boost for a player short on confidence is like saying it would be a boost for the Warriors if they can post back-to-back wins today for the first time since June 2003.

"It's been a tough year," Meil says. "That was my first try in six games and that's unusual for me because I normally start off well."

In fact, Meli has scored 53 tries in 95 games for the Warriors since making his debut as a 19-year-old in 1999. His try-scoring record puts him second behind the mercurial Stacey Jones with 72 on the all-time Warriors try-scoring list. He also holds the record for the most tries in a season when he touched down 23 times in the 2003 season.

Another record Meli is closing on is the Warriors 100-club - which will see him become the ninth in the club's 10-year history (behind Wairangi Koopu who is expected to bring up that tally against the Sharks next weekend).

"I thought I might have got there last year," Meli explains, "but all of my suspensions and injuries got in the way. It's a big thing for me."


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