Rapana has a beast of a job
He’s come to terms with how a fractured skull could have ended his career, and now Jordan Rapana has to get his head around marking Manu Vatuvei, surely one of the most destructive markers in the NRL, providing his hamstring passes a fitness test.
Rapana still needs treatment on the leg injury he suffered during Canberra’s unexpected opening round win over Cronulla despite being named on the right wing when the Raiders host the Warriors on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Wellingtonborn Cook Islands international was quietly confident he would be available to line-up against a Warriors weapon who has ominously scored eight tries in his last three games against the Green Machine, including two hat-tricks.
Regardless of the scan results Rapana has already cleared a significant obstacle – almost seven months after his playing future was jeopardised by Peter Mata’utia’s seemingly armourplated forehead.
The Dragons centre used Rapana as a speed bump en route to the line, leaving the former New Zealand Maori rep with an injury often associated with car crashes.
Rapana regained his footing after their collision last August and played out the last 25 minutes of a 34-16 loss, only realising the severity of the blow when he was in the dressing sheds.
Peering into a mirror Rapana noticed a dent in his forehead that was slowly enlarging. He spent the night at home and then the next four days in Canberra Hospital where surgeons inserted a metal plate before 60 staples closed an incision that went from ear to ear.
Rapana, who is yet to regain overall feeling in his scalp, faced up to his predicament with remarkable ease and despite the headaches he never thought about life after football.
‘‘It was an injury that sounds a lot worse than it actually is,’’ he said.
‘‘I was back training after sixseven weeks. I’ve done all the preseason training and I had the trials to get over the injury.’’
He copped a head knock against Melbourne and wore headgear for the remainder of that hit-out but unlike Raiders captain Jarrod Croker, he no longer uses the safety measure – regardless of Mum’s advice.
‘‘She’s on my case all the time about wearing headgear, I’m comfortable without it. I felt if I wore head gear it’s probably on my mind a lot more.’’