Panthers Masada Iosefa and Wade Graham set for debut
By James Phelps and Josh Massoud | June 20, 2008 12:00am
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Prodigies ... Masada Iosefa (left) and Wade Graham. / The Daily Telegraph
MASADA Iosefa is a housing commission kid who patrolled the mean streets of Mount Druitt. Wade Graham is a 17-year-old league prodigy who splits his time reading HSC texts and opposition defences. Tonight, Panthers coach Matt Elliott plans to unleash the teenage odd couple in one of the most exciting NRL double debuts in memory.
MainGame can exclusively reveal that explosive Samoan-born hooker Iosefa and Graham, a crafty halfback who has been compared to Brad Fittler, will be tossed into what is a season-defining game for the injury-ravaged Panthers.
Both were told they will be playing first grade against the Dragons tonight, and have trained with the top squad all week. Pending any 11th-hour posturings from Elliott - and he is known for last-minute changes - they will inject plenty of intrigue into tonight's clash.
And according to those who've witnessed their rise, their debuts are not before time.
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The Blacktown City duo have set the Toyota Cup alight.
Silky skills, brute strength and pace to burn. Their sublime playmaking combination has made the young Panthers almost unbeatable.
And it's their polished performances that have made them the talk of the town.
So much so, the whispers yesterday became a deafening roar, travelling down the M4 before hitting pay-dirt at the bottom of Mount Ousley.
"I am more concerned about that young kid from the 20s playing," Dragons coach Nathan Brown said at a press conference in Wollongong.
That's right. Forget wrecking-ball Frank Pritchard, it is 20-year-old Iosefa that Brown fears.
"I can't pronounce his name but he can play. Sometimes unfortunate things like what happened with Priddis the other night can produce the next champion.
"He has a lot of ability and is a fine young player."
Iosefa, the cousin of Storm hit-man Jeff Lima, was last year picked on a Kiwi tour before even playing a Toyota Cup game.
His talent is undeniable but
MainGame yesterday learned that life has sometimes been a struggle for the kid who most judges say could be anything.
One of seven children, Iosefa spent most of his youth on the hard streets of Sydney's west.
According to Peter Ross, his former teacher at Patrician Brothers Blacktown, Iosefa could have ended up in the slammer.
"It was a tough neighbourhood he came from," said Ross.
"At 14 or 15 he was going down that path and I had to tell him he would end up in jail if he continued. But to his credit he knuckled down and put better people around him. He got out of the gang environment and come Year 12 he was a model student. A real role model."
Despite his troubles off the field, Iosefa's talent has never been in doubt.
"He was only 15 and he basically won us the MCS tournament," Ross said. "He was man of the match every game. That year we also came second in the Arrive Alive Cup. Again it was because of him. I reckon we might have won it if he didn't get knocked out in the final."
Lima reckons his "skinny cousin" will go all the way.
"He was always very talented but had to work hard to get to where he is now," Lima said.
"He was a little midget back then, and he still is. But I think he will go very far. He is a quick learner and he trains hard. He does all the extras and is also a good listener."
Lima will today pick up the phone and give Iosefa some advice: "Tackle hard I will tell him. Make the first one count."
For Graham, advice will be just as plentiful.
Currently completing his HSC at Hills Sports High, the P-plater was swamped with good luck messages after word of his debut infiltrated classrooms yesterday.
Graham's Arrive Alive Cup coach, former Eel Dallas Weston, said the buzz around the schoolyard was "incredible".
"He came and saw me for about 20 minutes today," Weston said. "He's a bit nervous, but everyone at the school is so excited for him.
"All the kids his own age are in awe. Wade is the first kid to come through our system to play NRL - it will be a big moment for the school."
The son of a local concreter, the impressive playmaker is admired equally for his brains off the field. He currently mixes blue riband subjects such as physics and chemistry with the demands of training.
"Wade is a really diligent kid," Weston continues. "There's been times when he's asked to skip training to go to the library to complete his studies. He realises how important they are."
Both Iosefa and Graham were coached at Blacktown City by Wayne Jorgenson, now secretary of the club that also spawned Luke Lewis.
Jorgenson rates the level-headed Graham as one of the most exciting prospects that he has handled.
"I said six years ago he would be Penrith's next Brad Fittler, and the kid has done nothing to make me think otherwise since," Jorgenson said. "He has played in all the junior rep teams ahead of his time and captained the NSW under-18s last Wednesday night.
"He started off in the second-row, but I moved him to halfback and people thought I was crazy.
"He's got great organisational skills - and he's a chatty one.
"Having both Wade and Iosefa debut in the same match - it's a great night for our junior club."
