By Adrian Proszenko
SYDNEY, July 16 AAP - Parramatta front-rower Craig Stapleton will not
back down if another stoush erupts with Cowboys enforcer Paul Rauhihi in
their NRL match at Dairy Farmers Stadium tomorrow night.
The opposing props were involved in a midfield dust-up during their
spiteful round-eight encounter, which North Queensland won 24-20 after
almost squandering a 20-point halftime lead.
Stapleton said he hoped to give a better account of himself if forced to
go toe-to-toe with Rauhihi again.
"We'll see how angry I am at the time. I'll try to throw some straight
ones this time," he quipped.
The Eels prop has been involved in several recent on-field altercations,
most notably with Manly bad boy John Hopoate and NZ Warriors prop Iafeta
Paleaaesina.
Stapleton said while fighting wasn't a part of his game, he wouldn't back
down if an opponent tried to take him on.
"I've never been in a fight all of my life and in a few weeks I've been
in a couple," he said.
"You've got to let them know that 'Hey mate, you're not going to push me
around if you feel like it'.
"If they can stand over the front rower, then they think they can stand
over your team."
Stapleton admitted his recent pugilistic form was unlikely to strike fear
into opponents.
"(Hopoate) gave me a bit of a smack in the mouth and I thought I better
stand up for myself. I didn't want him to think he had it over me. I did my
best, but it wasn't too good," he said.
Similarly, the Warriors' Paleaaesina got the better of Stapleton in a
scrappy round 17 clash.
"I don't know what happened there - I just stood up to play the ball and
he was flaying. He only got me on the top of the head but they were coming
thick and fast," the Eels No. 12 said.
"I didn't land too many that time either. Maybe I should give it away."
In-form Cowboys prop Rauhihi said while he didn't expect to engage in
another punch-up with Stapleton, he had noted the Parramatta prop's tendency
to get into trouble.
"I'm not expecting (another fight), but I've noticed he has had a few
more incidents with other players," Rauhihi said.
"I don't know if that is part of his game now or not. We won't be paying
any special attention to anyone, but if something happens we will just react
to it at the time."
Rauhihi said the Parramatta forwards would be buoyed by their 26-12 upset
win over premiership heavyweight, the Roosters.
"There was a lot of talk about how much work they have done at the start
of the off season, size-wise and aggression-wise, and I think that showed
when they played a pretty dominant game last week," he said.
The Cowboys are one point ahead of the Eels on the NRL ladder and both
teams are desperate for a win to keep their top eight hopes alive.
"If we lose this game it's going to get a lot tougher from there,"
Rauhihi said of the club's semi-final hopes.
"The more games we can win now, the more it takes the pressure off at the
end of the year."
