Warringah Rats prop Menessah Alaga pleads with coach to stay on field

Warringah prop Manessah Alaga pleaded with coach Greg Marr to let him go the distance during his side’s 34-20 win over Randwick at Coogee Oval.

Warringah’s Rodney Iona was a standout in Saturday’s win over Randwick.

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HEAVYWEIGHT Warringah prop Manessah Alaga pleaded with coach Greg Marr to let him go the distance and not to replace him during his side’s 34-20 win over Randwick at Coogee Oval on Saturday.

The victory cemented the Rats their spot in the play-offs and they will now take on Northern Suburbs at North Sydney Oval on Sunday in the first week of the finals.

At halftime in Saturday’s crucial game Marr told Alaga he was doing really well in the scrums and wanted to check how he was going.

“Leave me on for 80 minutes boss,” was Alaga’s immediate response.

Warringah Rats coach Greg Marr. Picture:Karen Watson

Marr obliged and Alaga, who has been a revelation this season, repaid the faith shown in him by his coach and demonstrates the culture that is now in the team.

“He continued to dominate right to the end and made lots of tackles,” Marr said.

The Warringah pack was a weapon against Randwick and picked up four scrum penalties.

As a result Marr gave the two points in the Rats’ best and fairest award to his frontrowers Alaga, Luke Holmes and Rory O’Connor.

For the second week in a row Marr hardened his side up for finals football by keeping the starting team on the field for the whole game.

Warringah’s Luke Holmes was in the dominant frontrow against Randwick. Picture: Martin Lange.

“You have these guys putting their hands up to stay there and it gives them the confidence too that you have confidence that they can play for 80 minutes,” Marr said.

The standout player for the Rats was Rodney Iona who started at five-eighth and moved to No. 12 in the second half when skipper Hamish Angus made his return from the bench.

“Rod ran the team in the first half and in the second half went back and played his own game and just sliced them up and defended really,” Marr said.

While his side scored some good tries in the second half Marr was pleased by the way that the Rats were able to grind out a win in what was a real arm wrestle.