Knights grab gold nugget from under Raiders' nose
Adrian Proszenko | August 17, 2008
ROOKIE of the year contender Junior Sau is the bargain buy of the season after Newcastle snapped him up on a contract worth only $10,000.
Sau has scored seven tries in eight games in a stunning start to his NRL career with the Knights, who picked him up for a pittance after former club Canberra failed to make him an offer.
The try-scoring centre returns to the nation's capital today as one of the most exciting prospects in the game and Raiders officials will get a close-up look at the one they let slip through their fingers.
"It's probably the best move I've ever made," Sau told The Sun-Herald.
"I'm happy here. I'd just like to thank Smithy [coach Brian Smith] for giving me this opportunity.
"It's similar to Canberra here [in Newcastle] but Canberra doesn't have a beach. I'm pretty happy here, the boys are pretty good.
"I didn't think I was going to play this much [first grade]. I'm glad to get eight games this year."
With tongue firmly in cheek, Smith described Sau as having "John Sattler's legs and Reg Gasnier's pace" when he first saw him in the pre-season.
But it's unlikely that even Smith would have predicted his meagre outlay would have paid off so handsomely so quickly.
In only his third NRL match the New Zealander marked one of his idols, St George Illawarra recruit Wendell Sailor. In typical Sailor fashion Big Dell gave the youngster a gobful to test his mettle.
Sau responded with two tries and a few choice barbs of his own. "There was a lot of talk," Sau laughed.
"Whatever happens on the field stays on the field.
"It was pretty good to play him. He was one of my role models coming up, someone I looked up to coming through as a league player.
"I was pretty happy. I got the honours in that one."
Sau is only 21 but is already somewhat of a journeyman. He was born in Auckland, moved to Queensland with his family at the age of 10 before joining the Knights via Canberra.
The nuggety centre has already been named as part of Samoa's preliminary World Cup squad but must be a chance of fulfilling his ultimate goal of playing for New Zealand in the end-of-season Test tournament.
"It would be a great honour to put on the black jersey," he said.
The former Queensland under-19 representative's great form has earned him an extended and upgraded contract for 2009.
"The work he's doing off the field at the moment as a professional player is outstanding," Knights recruitment manager Keith Onslow said.
"He's in here every day on the computers studying his own form, studying the opposition.
"He's leaving no stone unturned so we're extremely happy with him."
Despite being overlooked by the Raiders, Sau said he had nothing to prove when he faced his former club. "I don't know what happened there," he said.
"They said they didn't have room [under the salary cap].
"I'm not too worried about that, I'm just going out to do a job. I don't have anything against the club."
