NRL: Warriors and Inu playing for high stakes

Krisnan Inu is making a long-awaited return on the left wing. Photo / Brett Phibbs

At this time of the year I don't think anyone plays for themselves. You've always got to do what's best for the team.Krisnan InuKrisnan Inu knows his chances of playing finals footy are likely to swing on how he plays against the Dragons tomorrow. He just doesn't seem to see it as a big deal. Not in the grand scheme of things, anyway.

Surplus to requirements since being fingered as one of the major culprits in the round 15 thrashing the Warriors copped from the Cowboys in Townsville, Inu makes his long-awaited return on the left wing in place of the injured Manu Vatuvei in Wollongong tomorrow afternoon.

Having copped coach Ivan Cleary's axe for an offence no one seems quite able to put a finger on, the silky-skilled 24-year-old will be on the shortest of leashes. But with the prize on offer for a first Warriors victory over the joint venture club at WIN Stadium the chance to play for a home final in next week's final round, Inu's attitude is simple - it's not about him.

"At this time of the year I don't think anyone plays for themselves," he said. "You've always got to do what's best for the team."

That said, his predicament isn't lost on him. He fully realises it is one of the biggest matches of his career.

"It is, definitely. But I am not going to try my best to outdo anyone. I don't want to be an individual, ask for the ball and show off and that sort of business. Whatever the team needs, I am going to do for the team. If that is enough to stay in the team then that's it."

That c'est la vie attitude extends to his mid-season dumping. Asked if he thought it was harsh being dropped after being switched from wing to centre for just one match, he appears to teeter on the brink of saying something mildly combative before offering: "Oh, well, it was the coach's decision. He might have seen something that I needed to work on that I might not have at the time. In the end, look, the boys are in the top four and I'm happy to see them in the top four.

"It was a one-off game really. I had that one bad game and from there Bill [Tupou] picked up his opportunity and has been playing well ever since. He has been doing awesome and I am happy to sit out if he's playing awesome for the team."

One has to wonder if that ability to accept setbacks with such magnanimity is in fact Inu's biggest failing as a footballer. Perhaps if he kicked up more of a fuss it would be easier to believe he cares?

Inu, though, appears content to let his twinkling feet do most of his talking. His battle with fellow Kiwi Jason Nightingale will be just one of the enthralling contests in the match.

With Mark Gasnier (injury) and Brett Morris (paternity leave) back on deck, the Dragons appear bullish about their prospects of ending a five-game skid that has sent them tumbling down the NRL ladder.

Traditional niceties require the Warriors to nod in agreement and spout a few platitudes about what a great side they are about to face.

Curiously, Cleary opted not to play that game, instead questioning the substance of the theory that a narrow loss to the Storm last week proves the Dragons are almost back to their best.

"I thought they played okay," Cleary said. "It was a pretty good game. There has been a bit of talk coming out of the camp about how they are back and how good they are going. Maybe that's what they think."

He didn't stop there, questioning whether a Dragons side that has won just two of its last 10 matches could really be as confident as they claim.

"I'm not sure how they are going to go. Obviously the intensity will be pretty high. The stakes are high for both teams. But when you haven't won a match for a little while there has to be a confidence issue."

The stakes are high. Win, and the Warriors remain in pole position in the four-way battle for fourth place. Lose, and they could tumble as low as seventh by the end of the round.