Penrith Panthers prop Viliame Kikau another one that got away from North Queensland Cowboys

A YEAR before James Tamou ditched Townsville for Penrith, the Cowboys were just as shattered when Phil Gould snuck in and poached another prop.

AS if losing Matt Scott to a knee injury for the season was not bad enough, North Queensland officials then had to watch former prop Viliame Kikau score a try during an impressive NRL debut for the Panthers.

James Tamou ditched Townsville for Penrith this season — but 12 months earlier the Cowboys were just as shattered when Phil Gould snuck under their guard and sold Penrith to Kikau.

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The 21-year-old giant scored 32 tries in 42 Holden Cup games, and made sure his first NRL four-pointer featured a lairy, leaping finish.

Viliame Kikau takes a dip during the Penrith Panthers recovery session at Nepean Aquatic Centre. Picture. Phil Hillyard

A serious ankle injury cruelled most of last season for Kikau, who is better known as “Billy”.

When Kikau was finally an outside chance to make his NRL debut against the Warriors in New Zealand last year, visa issues forced Penrith officials to leave him behind on the team bus at Sydney airport.

Kikau enjoyed some man love from good mate Sitaleki Akauola during a pool recovery session and the pair share the same spiritual beliefs.

Viliame Kikau dives over to score a try on debut during Penrith’s win over the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Panthers fans will be hoping their new front-rower continues to answer their premiership prayers, including Saturday’s clash against the Sydney Roosters and their own monster pack. Tamou has been impressed with what he’s seen.

“I’m happy I got to play in his debut game, everyone knows how good he is, and I think we’ll see a lot more of him through the year,’’ Tamou said.

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Panthers lock Trent Merrin added: “He’s had a tough run with injuries, but he’s worked hard to get over that, and that hard work has paid off.

“He was tremendous off the bench, gave us plenty of impact, and it was good to see one of the big boys get into some space like that (to score).’’

Skipper Matt Moylan described Kikau as a ‘’freak’’ who had also played several positions in the backline, and deserved the accolades for his tough summer.