Young hooker Manaia Cherrington will make his first-grade debut tonight off the interchange bench for Wests Tigers in their Round 13 match against the Gold Coast Titans — becoming the 184th player to play first-grade for Wests Tigers.
The Quakers Hill junior represented the Junior Kiwis in both 2013 and 2014, captaining the side in the latter of the two games and subsequently leading the side to a 15-14 victory over the Junior Kangaroos. Manaia also travelled to the inaugural Auckland Nines tournament early on in 2014, which kick-started a stellar year from the young rake that was culminated by his inclusion in the NYC Team of the Year as the Hooker of the Year.
The 20-year-old hooker signed a two-year extension last year and is certainly an exciting player for Wests Tigers fans to watch closely over the coming years.
See what Cherrington had to say about making his first-grade debut tonight above.
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2015 Player Profile: Manaia Cherrington
Date of Birth — 2nd August, 1994
Height/Weight — 182cm, 85kg
Rep. Honours — Junior Kiwis (2013-14), NYC Team of the Year (2014)
Junior Clubs — Quakers Hill (Birthplace: Whangarei, New Zealand)
Twitter: @mcherrington9 Instagram: @m_cherrington