BY ROBERT DILLON
28 Feb, 2012 04:00 AM
IT is almost four years, or 78 NRL games, since the name Junior Sau featured on a reserve-grade team sheet.
But if Knights supporters had come to regard the New Zealand international as a fixture in Newcastles backline, the goalposts appear to have shifted after coach Wayne Bennett named his squad for Thursday nights season-opener against St George Illawarra at Hunter Stadium.
Bennett has opted for new signing Timana Tahu as left-side centre, the position Sau has made his own since his two-try debut against the Bulldogs in 2008.
Sau trained for much of the pre-season as right centre, but that role has been handed to versatile Wes Naiqama, leaving Sau on the outer.
Instead of running out in front of a sell-out crowd on Thursday night, the 25-year-old will return to his birthplace on Saturday to play in Newcastles NSW Cup team against the Auckland Vulcans at Mt Smart Stadium.
Sau should have some familiar faces to keep him company.
Evarn Tuimavave, Zane Tetevano, Siuatonga Likiliki, Marvin Filipo, Kevin Naiqama and Robbie Rochow are expected to make the trip across the Tasman with Newcastles back-up brigade.
Of those, Tuimavave is the only seasoned top-grader, with 135 games under his belt.
The rest are L-platers who will no doubt come into NRL calculations as the season unfolds.
For Sau and Tuimavave, the question is how long will they have to bide their time in reggies.
Tuimavave, also a Kiwi international, was the first prop chosen for Newcastle all last season, starting in 20 NRL games.
Bennett has preferred recruits Kade Snowden and Adam Cuthbertson as his first-choice front-rowers this week, but Tuimavaves presence is likely to be required as injuries inevitably create a need for reinforcements.
But the challenge facing Sau, a specialist centre, appears even greater.
Sau could not have done much more in the pre-season to impress Bennett.
First, he declined selection in the Kiwi squad for last seasons Four Nations tour of England to recover from niggling injuries.
He then trimmed close to seven kilograms off his nuggety frame and believes he is physically in the best shape of his career.
For all that, Sau apparently now rates behind Tahu and Naiqama in the pecking order, and the dilemma he faces is how to change the coachs opinion.
Consistency is one area in which there is room for improvement.
On his day Sau can terrorise any defender. Nobody scores two Test tries against Australia if they cant carry the football.
But the trouble is his quiet games tend to outnumber his standout performances.
Outside backs are usually judged by their strike rate, and Saus career haul of 24 tries in 78 games four from 21 last season is well short of prolific.
And if a centre is not a renowned try-scorer, then he needs to create opportunities for his winger.
Once again, this is something Sau can work on.
Last season he produced three try assists and 19 off-loads in 21 games. Naiqama, in comparison, came up with four try assists and 68 off-loads in 17 games.
Given that Newcastles right centre will partner the games most dangerous finisher, Akuila Uate, then not surprisingly Bennett has opted for the best provider.
As the master coach said in a recent interview, My job at the moment is to try to convince the centres and the outside backs to get [Uate] the ball as much as they can.
If Sau didnt get the message at the time, he should have done by now. And the suspicion is that the unfortunate Vulcans player entrusted with marking him on Saturday could be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
