Laumape: Another one gets away on Warriors

Despondent Warriors fans were dealt another backhander this week when former first grader Ngani Laumape was named in the All Blacks’ squad for the test series against the British and Irish Lions.

The 24- year- old’s rapid elevation in the 15- man game has surprised many but his selection stings Kiwi league fans who were well aware of his promise and ability.

Former Warriors coach Matt Elliott gets a bad rap, but one of his best and final decisions during his short tenure was handing Laumape his debut on the wing against Cronulla in round four of the 2013 NRL season.

An ugly 28- 4 defeat to the Sharks spelled the end of Elliott’s coaching days with current assistant coach Andrew McFadden replacing him at the helm, while Laumape went on to finish the season as the Warriors’ Rookie of the Year.

“The thing that stood out to me with Ngani was his commitment to preparation,” Elliott said.

“I found him really easy to engage with and his attitude was fantastic.

“He had a couple of challenges having a young child in Wellington and living in Auckland, but they were challenges he was committed to overcome.

“He was very coachable and he wanted to find a way to become a first grader and to cement his spot there.

“Without going into it chapter and verse, that attitude probably wasn’t prevalent.”

The following year the Palmerston North Boys’ High School product continued to build on his promise, playing centre and wing in a backline chock full of raw potential and blockbusting ball- carriers.

Together with veteran wing Manu Vatuvei and centre Konrad Hurrell, Laumape got the Warriors rolling forward on early tackles but there was more to his play than just strength and power.

Quick across the ground, the 100kg pocket rocket exuded confidence and possessed subtle touches to compliment the more rugged aspects of his game.

With 30 first grade games under his belt, Laumape’s rise continued when he was named in the Kiwis’ train- on squad ahead of their victorious 2014 Four Nations campaign.

He missed out on a spot in the final squad but a test career surely beckoned.

However, fate intervened during the next pre- season, when a ruptured ACL spelled an end to his season and ultimately his league career.

“I was happy to go to the Warriors and when I look back at it now, I know I made the right choice to go and find my feet away from home,” Laumape said.

“All of the experiences I learned at the Warriors have helped me today.

“All of the tough times that I went through there has made me stronger and mentally tougher.”

As crazy as it now seems, the Warriors had reservations about investing further in Laumape, with Vatuvei, Hurrell, Ben Henry, Tui Lolohea, Glen Fisi’iahi, David Fusitu'a, Solomone Kata, Matt Allwood and Ken Maumalo seeing them flush with outside backs.

Midway through 2015, the club granted him a release to take up an opportunity to play Super Rugby with the Hurricanes.

Less than two years later he finds himself on the verge of achieving a boyhood dream.

“He’d had two similar injuries in the same knee and it just came down to a choice,” McFadden explained.

“At the time we had Konrad and we put a lot of time into him and that was the way that we went.

“You make decisions and you know they’ve got ability but you’ve got to make a choice around whether you think they’re going to be durable enough to keep going. We wished him all the best and it’s great to see him go on to do better things.”