NRL: Tupou's hunt for top-flight tries

Bill Tupou is now playing with the big boys. Photo / Getty Images

He might have been held up over the line once. Might have been. That's as close as young winger Bill Tupou has got to scoring an NRL try.

It's unfamiliar territory for the 20-year-old, this wondering where a try might be coming from. At junior club level he was always prolific, forming a deadly centre partnership with Siuatonga Likiliki at Marist Saints.

It was the same at NYC level, where the pair have always been near the top of the try-scoring charts. In 40 games for the Junior Warriors over three seasons, Tupou has racked up 32 tries.

But in eight NRL appearances to date he might have been held up once.

The winger returns to the first-grade side to face the Titans in a crucial encounter at Mt Smart on Sunday.

"It's disappointing," Tupou admitted. "I'm trying but opportunities aren't coming up for me. I just haven't been close. Hopefully this week I can put the ball over the white line."

Tupou's offensive stats are very much those of a player who is still finding his way in the top grade. He averages a useful enough 98 metres per game, but has made just one linebreak - a powerful burst out of dummy half that came on his debut against Manly - and he has produced just one offload.

As for the goose egg in the try column, it may be getting to Tupou but it isn't an issue for coach Ivan Cleary.

"To me that excites me because a try-scorer is never too far away, so it might be this week," Cleary said.

Overall, Cleary has been impressed by the youngster's entry into the NRL.

"I think he has done a great job. He's probably only had the one game against the Tigers when he had an off night - and he wasn't Robinson Crusoe. But the really good thing was that he bounced back straight away ..."

The last of those was the gritty 12-6 victory over the Panthers. Tupou fractured a finger in that match but didn't miss a trick on defence as the Warriors repelled wave after wave of Panthers attacks.

Defensive solidity out wide was something the Warriors lacked in last week's defeat by the Rabbitohs, with Kevin Locke having an off day before tweaking a hamstring. That injury opened the door for Tupou's return and he is determined to make the most of his opportunity, although he is likely to have his hands full with speedy opposite Kevin Gordon. '

The speed of the game and the size of opponents had been the toughest thing to adapt to in first grade, Tupou said. At 1.83m and 93kg he is not small for a winger, but neither is he up there with 110kg-plus monsters.

"It is harder to get through them and the wrestle on the ground is way different ... You are playing against guys all over 100kg. When you go down to 20s they are small, light guys."

He may not be armed with huge weapons but Tupou is at least armed with a plan for claiming that elusive first try. "Just follow Tatey [Brent Tate], follow up on the ball in case someone makes a break and hopefully they pass it to me."