Fonua-Blake powers up Warriors

Warriors coach Nathan Brown nearly fell off his chair when he was told the club was a chance of signing powerhouse Addin Fonua-Blake from Manly last year.

Warriors coach Nathan Brown nearly fell off his chair when he was told the club was a chance of signing powerhouse Addin Fonua-Blake from Manly last year.

One game into the new season and it’s clear other teams better buckle up when they take on the Tongan behemoth after he led from the front to guide the Warriors to a 19-6 win over a Titans side featuring their own pair of high-profile recruits.

Fonua-Blake finished with a game-high 177 metres from 19 runs as he dominated the middle third of the field in a performance that matched his pre-season expectation.

After surprising Manly with a request for a release last September, the prop was quickly snapped up on a three-year deal, prompting Warriors recruitment manager Peter O’Sullivan to say at the time that his signing “could be one of the most important in the club’s history”.

It was the perfect gift for Brown who has been able to shape his game plan around arguably the best front-rower in the world.

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“I still remember getting the call from Peter O’Sullivan saying we were a chance of getting this bloke, and I didn’t really believe him. I nearly fell off the chair because players like that don’t come along every day,” Brown said.

“We were fortunate to get Addin. Recruitment is the key to any successful club, and if you don’t recruit well, you don’t do well. Being able to get someone of Addin’s skill and talent was very important. He’s only 25 or 26 so his best years are coming.”

Fox Sports analyst Michael Ennis couldn’t speak highly enough of Fonua-Blake’s performance, and his worth to a club was made more evident when Manly’s middles were completely outclassed by the Roosters just two hours later.

“To be able to get someone of that quality so quickly in your recruitment drive is a huge bonus for the Warriors,” Ennis said.

“The impact of Fonua-Blake and what he has on that whole side is enormous, and you could see the difference in the Sea Eagles without him. It was alarming.

“He put a real fear factor into the opposition and he got through a mountain of work in the middle.

“For a big man, he was just instant presence in the middle of the field. He became a big attraction for Chanel Harris-Tavita, who played short to him a number of times and he had a number of offloads that created second-phase play that brought in Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Kodi Nikorima.”

Fonua-Blake’s next assignment has added spice as it will be the first time Brown has coached against the Newcastle Knights since they let him go in 2019.

But next Friday’s clash in Gosford will be decided in the middle, not in the stands, with the Warriors’ general set to take on a pair of barnstorming big men who have also started 2021 with a bang.

Daniel Saifiti scored a rare double in his side’s win over the Bulldogs, while fellow front-rower David Klemmer ran for 200 metres to set up a mouthwatering clash in Round 2.

“Next week will be a great challenge for us because the two Saifiti boys (Daniel and Jacob) and ‘Klem’ dominated the advantage line on Friday,” Brown said.

“When Newcastle’s got those big boys dominating the advantage line, it really brings ‘Pearcey’ right into the contest, so our big boys will need to be even better than what they were (against Gold Coast).”