Sauaso Sue
Age: 21
2013 NRL Games: 16
Another member of the premiership winning 2012 Wests Tigers NYC side, Sue has excelled in 2013 to become a key member of the NRL sides forward pack in his debut season.
The extreme injury toll at the Club gave Sue his shot at the NRL in Round 6 against the Dragons at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Macquarie Fields junior made an impact immediately and hasnt missed a game since.
Averaging 41 minutes per game in 2013 is a great effort from the hard-working forward, with his defensive work-rate just as impressive. Sues 92% tackle efficiency is up there with the best, missing just 18 tackles all year (just over one per game).
Forming a combination with experienced forward Adam Blair in the middle of the park, Sue has made the tough transition from the Under 20s to the NRL look easy. Anyone who has seen Sue train will tell you how much hard work he has put in and with another pre-season under his belt, Wests Tigers fans can expect even bigger things in 2014.
KEY STATISTICS
-Sue has averaged 41 minutes per game in his 16 games.
-Averages 8 hit-ups for 61 metres and 27 tackles per game.
-Has a 92% tackle efficiency 434 tackles from 473 attempts (18 missed, 21 ineffective)
MICK POTTER SAYS
Sauaso was one of the standouts in the Under 20s last year and has come through. For the position he is trying to play at the moment he was underweight when he first started pre-season. Its okay to play in the 20s at that weight but when you have got to play in the middle against seasoned hardened men in the NRL he was giving away anywhere up to 40 kilos with blokes like Sam Kasiano. You cant do that, theres a lot that are 10-15 kilos heavier and hes gone about fixing that up using methodical persistence and working a lot with Luke Portese (Strength and Conditioning Coach) to get some weight on him and be able to carry it. Thats important, you cant put the weight on and not be able to carry it. Its been a steady progress; I think he is up around 104 kilos now.
His defence is outstanding but what is even more impressive is that he wins the tackles. He doesnt get beaten on the ground. As well as being aggressive he dominates his tackles and that comes from his leg-drive and his strength. If we can get a little bit more weight on him he is going to be a lot more dominant in that area.
What I like about Sauaso is he is aggressive, runs direct and I wouldnt like to cross paths with him or get on the wrong side of him. On a footy field he gives 100% and off the field he is one of the nicest young men you would ever like to meet. Hes a good kid and Im looking forward to him being in the middle with us next year.
He is one to watch for the future.
CHECK OUT SAUASO'S PLAYER PROFILE
READ YOUNG GUNS PART ONE: DAVID NOFOALUMA
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