Dylan Waker, Api Koroisau lead Sea Eagles fightback to almost reel in Rabbitohs
TWO former premiership Bunnies — Dylan Walker and Api Koroisau — almost came back to haunt their old club at Brookvale Oval.
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TWO former premiership Bunnies almost came back to haunt their old club at Brookvale Oval.
Dylan Waker and Api Koroisau, who got the late call-up for the suspended Issac Luke in the 2014 grand final, were in the thick of everything for the Sea Eagles.
Koroisau, a hooker by trade, more than did Daly Cherry-Evans’ No. 7 jumper justice.
Manly coach Trent Barrett was happy for ‘’his tough little bugger’’.
“He’s a trier, he’s a hooker, and he’s only played four or five games there (at halfback) in his career,’’ Barrett said.
“To come out and do what he did in the game, he was tentative in the beginning ... I thought he did a great job. Dylan was in the same boat.’’
Koroisau was given the rare honour of being man of the match in a losing side.
The fleet-footed 23-year-old troubled his old mates every time he got the ball, finishing the night with no less than 12 tackle busts. He had no trouble stepping around Greg Inglis late in the first half, and could not believe his luck when he threw a dummy and basically ran 20m through the middle to score a try in the second half.
Walker, who left Souths for Manly last year after his prescription drugs overdose, was also clearly pumped to take on his junior club.
He beat his chest and smiled when he was able to bag his own four-pointer in the first half.
Walker also proved tough to stop each time he ran the ball, only to keep running into Sam Burgess. The Englishman almost enjoyed flattening Waker, twice being penalised for showing too much enthusiasm.
The 21-year-old Walker even ended the night of Bunnies’ back-up rake Damien Cook when he accidentally knocked him out with a stray elbow.
When Walker was let go by Souths with a year remaining on his contract, his lawyer at the time suggested he had been “treated like a piece of meat’’. There was no denying Walker had an appetite for getting one up on Souths.
Koroisau only left South Sydney for Penrith because of the presence of Kiwi international Luke.
When Luke announced midway through last season he would also bail on Redfern early and join the New Zealand Warriors, Koroisau was stuck out west at Penrith and wondering what could have happened had he just been a little more patient.
But life on the northern beaches is looking up for him.
This could have been his best NRL game to date.
While a few of his passes went behind players and stalled the Manly attack, he was dangerous with the ball in his hands.
The loss of Cherry-Evans would hurt any team.
But Walker and Koroisau will aim up for coach Trent Barrett.
Even Bunnies coach Michael Maguire knew his two former charges would be up for the challenge.
If only his young halves could play their former club every week.
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