Penrith star Waqa Blake once dreamed of playing AFL for West Coast Eagles
Penrith firecracker Waqa Blake has his sights set on a New South Wales Origin jersey this season but there was a time when he dreamed of wearing the blue and gold of the West Coast Eagles.
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The West Coast Eagles already have one Fijian ruckman, but it could have been two.
Just like Penrith-born Nic Naitanui there was a time when Panthers star Waqa Blake wanted to line-up as a ruckman for the AFL premiers.
Blake moved to Perth from Fiji when he was a teenager and the athletically gifted youngster quickly garnered an affinity for Aussie rules football.
He enjoyed his time in a guernsey so much, he even entertained the idea of pursuing an AFL career.
“I did play a bit there [in Perth] and I followed West Coast. I had a lot of mates and stuff who played it so I just gave it a go at school and played a bit for club footy,” Waqa said.
“I did [consider an AFL career]. I had a lot of fun playing it but I just didn’t know if I was fit enough for it. They cover so many kilometres, they’re just freakish. It’s a lot different to rugby league and union.
“I was in the middle, a ruckman, because I was pretty tall and could jump. That’s all they used me for. I couldn’t kick.”
Despite spending his formative years in an AFL-obsessed city, Blake couldn’t resist the lure of the spectacle that was State of Origin.
“When I first came over from Fiji, that’s probably the biggest thing I had seen when I first came over. Even when I went back to Perth, growing up there, it’s so AFL dominated but when it comes to Origin, it was massive over there,” he said.
The Panthers centre is on Brad Fittler’s Blues radar and was part of his emerging squad named late last year. But his Origin ambitions were thwarted after he suffered an ankle injury that kept him off the field for two months.
With Origin returning to Perth this year for game two of the series, the Fijian flyer is determined to stay fit and stake his claim for a spot in the NSW team.
“I’m always thinking about Origin but at the same time I was injured for majority of the season last year and this year I'm trying to stay injury free,” he said.
“The main thing is to play consistent footy. That’s my number one thing I want to do, is just be good here for the club at the rest will follow.
“I had a few chats with Brad here and there and the last time we talked was at the camp in November. He told me what I needed to do when I went back to club footy and I just have to do it.”
Since making his NRL debut in 2015, Blake’s handling and decisions in defence have come under scrutiny.
But the 24-year old has come a long way in trying to rectify the issues and according to Fox Sports Lab, he made one error per game last year compared to 1.5 per game in 2015.
Blake said his focus this year was to keep improving and he’ll be trying to prove his worth to Fittler as early as Sunday when the Panthers take on Parramatta in a round one blockbuster.
Originally published as Penrith star Waqa Blake once dreamed of playing AFL for West Coast Eagles
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