Eels forward Daniel Alvaro will make his run on debut against the Raiders
PARRAMATTA prop Daniel Alvaro — aka the Polar Bear — will make his run on debut against Canberra, replacing injured Eels favourite Timmy Mannah.
Footy Form
Don't miss out on the headlines from Footy Form. Followed categories will be added to My News.
DANNY Wicks will never forget the first time he saw ‘Polar Bear’.
It was May, last year.
Ringrose Park.
Wicks among a group of Eels watching Richie Fa’aoso, back from a broken neck, play NSW Cup for the Wentworthville.
“And there was this kid,’’ he recalls, “who just kept going. He was a prop who played the opening 40 minutes. Then, after the break, played 20 minutes more.
“He just had so much determination. Didn’t stop. Brad Takarangi and I actually started saying how he could be a representative player in the next few years.”
And now?
“Now I love him,’’ Wicks laughs. “I’m his biggest fan.”
Set to make his starting debut at Pirtek Stadium this afternoon, Parramatta prop Daniel Alvaro — aka the Polar Bear — remains something of a rugby league secret.
A 22-year-old forward who, in four games for Wentworthville this year, has quietly posted the type of numbers that make SuperCoach fans salivate.
Apart from averaging 177m per game, the Southern Highlands product is also making 42 tackles per match, with an efficiency rating of 90 per cent.
And now this afternoon at Parramatta Stadium, the youngster makes his run on debut against Canberra, replacing injured Eels favourite Timmy Mannah.
But good luck getting him to talk it up
Living with his grandparents at Lidcombe, Alvaro is so quiet that even halfback Kieran Foran concedes “I get a wink each day, nothing more”.
Thankfully, others are happy to talk for him.
“What can you expect from Dan? 110 per cent,’’ Wicks said. “Tell him to do something he’s there to do it.
“First one in, last one to leave.”
Foran agrees, adding: “Daniel Alvaro is probably the fittest guy in this team, and as tough as they come.
“He was our best trainer in pre-season and has been killing it this year, running for 200m in NSW Cup. Expect big things from him this year.”
While there is no great secret to the Polar Bear nickname — “someone tagged me with it first week here, and it stuck” — Alvaro admits there is certainly more to his form that just strong numbers.
A Mittagong Lions junior, the young forward spent two years with the Brisbane U/20s before a serious bout of homesickness saw him return south to Sydney.
“By the start of my second pre-season I’d worked out I wanted to come home,’’ he concedes. “Was fairly homesick.
“And now being back, everything is better.”
And as for his staggering numbers?
“I just try to hit over 150 metres a week,’’ he shrugs. “And not miss any tackles.
“I don’t care how many I make, just as long as I don’t miss any.”
Originally published as Eels forward Daniel Alvaro will make his run on debut against the Raiders
Get your 2019 NRL tipping chart
Whether you’re getting the office together or just organising the family tipping competition, you’re going to need a tipping chart. We’ve got you covered. DOWNLOAD YOUR CHART HERE.
Storm’s new iceman sledges Cronk
WITH Cooper Cronk’s departure last season, Cameron Munster has emerged as Melbourne’s clutch hero in 2018, and the playmaker let his former teammate know all about his new-found talent.