Kiwi up for battle
Both credit each other for their standout seasons at the Roosters, but Joseph Manu and Latrell Mitchell have no problems putting their friendship aside for Saturday’s trans-Tasman test.
Two weeks after teaming up to help the Roosters to premiership glory, Manu and Mitchell will go head-to-head in the centres at Mt Smart Stadium, when they make their test debuts for the Kiwis and Kangaroos respectively.
It’s a mouth-watering matchup that’s worth the price of admission alone, after the pair established themselves as two of the most exciting players in the NRL in 2018.
And after battling each other on the training paddock all year, Manu is relishing the chance to earn bragging rights when they go at it for real.
‘‘We pretty much started together and it’s been an awesome journey with him. Now we’re both representing our countries for the first time,’’ Manu said.
‘‘We’re pretty competitive. We’ve been going at it all year so to actually play a game against him will be cool.
‘‘He’d get one over me, I’d get one over him [at training]. We don’t really like losing so it’s pretty even.’’
Manu, 22, and Mitchell, 21, came through the Sydney club’s junior grades together and both made their NRL debuts in 2016.
The pair have contrasting styles on and off the field, with the softly-spoken Kiwi a rock on defence, while Mitchell is renowned for his devastating attack, and is more than happy to engage in a verbal battle.
Mitchell was keeping his cards to his chest as to whether he would try and get under Manu’s skin, but he promised to bring plenty of aggression.
‘‘He’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, but so do I,’’ Mitchell said.
‘‘There’s so much competition there. We don’t want each beating one another.
‘‘That’s why I think us centres have tightened up this year, because we’ve been going at it with each other.
‘‘I’ll give him the respect he deserves but, then again, there are no mates on the field. I’m just ready to go and play against him.’’
With Mitchell earmarked as the ‘next big thing’ by the Aussie media before he played a game of first grade, Manu had been quietly going about his business on the right edge, while his highprofile team-mate attracted all the headlines.
But come the end of the finals’ series everyone knew who the boy from Tokoroa was.
Manu played a starring role in the Roosters’ premiership triumph, out-shining Rabbitohs great Greg Inglis in the preliminary final, before scoring a try in the grand final victory over the Storm.
Less than 24 hours later he was named in coach Michael Maguire’s Kiwis squad.
If his performances throughout the finals showed anything, it’s that Manu is right at home on the big stage, and he is determined to replicate that form for his country.
‘‘I’m buzzing but I’ve got a job to do for the Kiwis and I want to beat Australia.’’