Haka for RTS’ Dally M win
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck became the first Warriors player to clinch the Dally M Medal – and it was fitting the win was celebrated with an impromptu haka by some of his New Zealand mates.
The baby-faced skipper leapfrogged Newcastle sensation Kalyn Ponga in the final round of voting.
‘‘This is crazy,’’ Tuivasa-Sheck said on Wednesday night.
‘‘I remember the first time I came to these awards in 2013, Cooper Cronk won the Dally M and I remembered sitting there thinking, ‘Man, it would be a dream to win this award’.
‘‘I didn’t know that day would come, so I feel truly blessed to be holding this trophy and wearing this medal.’’
Moments after Tuivasa-Sheck finished his speech, including thanking his proud father, Johnny, Warriors team-mates Issac Luke and Jazz Tevaga, as well as Canberra and Kiwi international Jordan Rapana, performed the haka in the middle of Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal.
Tuivasa-Sheck stood metres away on stage and was almost reduced to tears.
Ponga was entitled to be close to crying himself, given that injury all but robbed him of taking out the Dally M in his first full year in the NRL.
The Knights No 1 missed the final two matches for Newcastle because of an ankle injury and did a remarkable job to finish as high up the leaderboard as he did.
So, too, did Knights star teammate Mitchell Pearce, who was brilliant in his first year at the Hunter club.
Cronulla’s Valentine Holmes rattled home in the voting, while Wests Tigers No 7 Luke Brooks, who took out his club’s top award and led the Dally Ms with three rounds remaining, rounded out the top five.
Tuivasa-Sheck was brilliant for the Warriors and a big reason they reached the finals when most tipsters had them taking out the wooden spoon.
The 25-year-old briefly entertained a switch to rugby before he signed a new four-year deal with the Warriors at the start of the year, and he gave the Auckland franchise plenty of bang for their buck.
Two key games which would have definitely featured the maximum three votes were in rounds 21 and 22.
Tuivasa-Sheck had run for nearly 200m by halftime against St George Illawarra at WIN Stadium, and also stopped Tim Lafai from scoring in the first half.
The following week he chalked up more than 300m in an absolute clinic against the Knights in Auckland.
Like Ponga and Pearce, Tuivasa-Sheck missed games this year – and the chance to poll – because of the birth of his first baby.
The Warriors’ chances of advancing past week one of the finals, however, were dashed as soon as Tuivasa-Sheck was forced from the field with a knee injury before halftime.
The medial ligament strain has also cost Tuivasa-Sheck the chance to play Australia in the October 13 test on home soil, as well as the test series against England.
Cameron Smith was crowned captain of the year, Brisbane’s Jamayne Isaako the rookie, Anthony Seibold coach of the year while Damien Cook, one of the early favourites for the Dally M, won the Provan Summons People’s Choice Award.