Manu’s frustrations continue
RUGBY LEAGUE: Manu Vatuvei has already had his fair share of challenges this season and it doesn’t appear to be getting any easier.
Despite being named to play the Panthers on Saturday, the veteran winger is nursing a knee complaint that saw him leave the field in the second half of last week’s golden point defeat to Canberra, continuing a campaign that has been disrupted by off-field issues and niggling injuries.
Of the Warriors’ 18 matches this season, the 30-year-old has appeared in just half of those while failing to see out the 80 minutes on four occasions.
Three of the games he missed came in the wake of the prescription drugs and energy drinks saga in May, but he has also been dogged by rib, hamstring and now a knee problem which he will have to manage for the rest of the year.
Vatuvei is limiting his training load this week and is hopeful of taking on the eighth-placed Panthers.
However, he admits he has to do a better job of listening to his body.
‘‘It does get frustrating but I’ve just got to do what I’ve got to do,’’ Vatuvei said of his injury woes.
‘‘If I feel I can play the whole 80 I’ll put myself in there but if not I don’t want go in there just to play 40 or 60 minutes, that’s not what my position does - I play a whole 80.’’