You ain’t seen nothing yet – Warriors prop
If Warriors fans have been happy with what they’ve seen so far from Addin Fonua-Blake, just wait until the star signing fully gets to grips with the NRL’s new rules.
While the former Manly frontrower has earned rave reviews on both sides of the Tasman for his powerhouse performances, FonuaBlake believes he’s only getting started after offering a surprisingly harsh assessment of his first three games for his new club.
‘‘I feel like I’ve started a bit slow, to be honest,’’ Fonua-Blake told Stuff.
‘‘I’ve still got a lot to work on, I’m still adjusting to a lot of the rules changes but I’m getting there with the help of all the boys.
‘‘Everyone’s open to honest feedback. I feel like I’ve started off a bit slow but I reckon moving forward I’ll make some good strides.’’
It’s an ominous warning for the rest of the competition if the 123kg wrecking ball does continue to improve. Rule changes may have made for a faster product but FonuaBlake has already hit the ground running, averaging 175 running metres per game while his total of 238 post-contact metres is among the the highest in the competition.
The numbers only tell part of the story, though. In Fonua-Blake the Warriors have an imposing presence in the middle with a rare blend of strength, skill and footwork, who is rarely, if ever, put on his back.
Thrust straight into the leadership group by coach Nathan Brown, Fonua-Blake has relished mentoring the younger forwards in the squad.
And they will be looking for him to again lead the way against the Roosters at the SCG tomorrow.
While the Sydney heavyweights have been stung by injuries, they have no shortage of representative players as well as a hard-nosed pack led by enforcers Jared WaereaHargreaves and Sio Siua Taukeiaho.
As much as Fonua-Blake likes to make it personal when he comes up against fellow world-class props, he knows it’s going to take a collective effort to get the job done this weekend.
‘‘I’ll be trying my hardest to get it over them but I can’t do it by myself, the whole team needs to bring our A-game.’’