shadowboxer
First Grade
- Messages
- 7,497
taken from article at NRL.com
Vagana looking to atone for 'shocker'
14 October 2004
Nigel Vagana is relishing the chance to atone for a "shocker" in his last performance in a New Zealand rugby league test jersey.
Vagana, in his 22nd test, is in the unfamiliar situation of being named in his usual position of centre for the Kiwis' opening Tri Nations match against Australia in Auckland on Saturday.
For the past two tests, both against the Kangaroos, he has operated mainly as a fill-in fullback.
While he helped the Kiwis to a 30-16 upset at North Harbour Stadium last October, he was stricken by errors when they went down 10-37 in Newcastle in April.
He had gone into the Anzac test with just one outing for Cronulla under his belt after coming back from a shoulder injury.
But the 29-year-old Aucklander, who hasn't watched a tape of the match, said he couldn't blame lack of game time for what happened.
He said it was simply a case of the harder he tried, the worse it got, he said.
"I don't remember much about it, but I do remember towards the end Craig Gower put a grubber through and it sat up," he said.
"As a fullback, that's what you want and I started running towards the ball. I looked up, there was no one in front of me and I thought, I'll take this and I'll run 90m and score.
"It went through my arms and Darren Lockyer picked it up and scored next to the posts.
"I knew then it was just one of those days and I just had to deal with it. I had a shocker and I'm looking to rectify it."
A former New Zealand Warrior, Vagana spent three years at the Bulldogs before moving to Cronulla at the end of last season.
While the Bulldogs carried off the NRL premiership trophy, the Sharks missed out on the playoffs.
Although some critics queried midway through the season whether Vagana, a prolific tryscorer, was being given enough of the ball, he still ended as the club's top finisher with 12 tries from 18 matches.
He described the season as "not the greatest team-wise and personally", but said his role was different than at the Bulldogs.
Whereas the Bulldogs had a large core of experience, the Sharks were rebuilding with a young squad under new coach Stuart Raper.
"At Canterbury, everyone knows his role," Vagana said.
"At Cronulla, as a senior player, I put my own game on the back foot to help the younger guys."
Nevertheless, the Sharks almost made the semi-finals, and were still in the running going into the last round.
"We were very inconsistent, but in round 26 in Townsville playing the Cowboys, we still had a chance of making the top eight," he said.
"We were in contention right to the end. Hopefully, if we're bit more consistent next year, we'll be going for a top-four spot."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
we live in hope. I hope he has a go saturday arfo
Vagana looking to atone for 'shocker'
14 October 2004
Nigel Vagana is relishing the chance to atone for a "shocker" in his last performance in a New Zealand rugby league test jersey.
Vagana, in his 22nd test, is in the unfamiliar situation of being named in his usual position of centre for the Kiwis' opening Tri Nations match against Australia in Auckland on Saturday.
For the past two tests, both against the Kangaroos, he has operated mainly as a fill-in fullback.
While he helped the Kiwis to a 30-16 upset at North Harbour Stadium last October, he was stricken by errors when they went down 10-37 in Newcastle in April.
He had gone into the Anzac test with just one outing for Cronulla under his belt after coming back from a shoulder injury.
But the 29-year-old Aucklander, who hasn't watched a tape of the match, said he couldn't blame lack of game time for what happened.
He said it was simply a case of the harder he tried, the worse it got, he said.
"I don't remember much about it, but I do remember towards the end Craig Gower put a grubber through and it sat up," he said.
"As a fullback, that's what you want and I started running towards the ball. I looked up, there was no one in front of me and I thought, I'll take this and I'll run 90m and score.
"It went through my arms and Darren Lockyer picked it up and scored next to the posts.
"I knew then it was just one of those days and I just had to deal with it. I had a shocker and I'm looking to rectify it."
A former New Zealand Warrior, Vagana spent three years at the Bulldogs before moving to Cronulla at the end of last season.
While the Bulldogs carried off the NRL premiership trophy, the Sharks missed out on the playoffs.
Although some critics queried midway through the season whether Vagana, a prolific tryscorer, was being given enough of the ball, he still ended as the club's top finisher with 12 tries from 18 matches.
He described the season as "not the greatest team-wise and personally", but said his role was different than at the Bulldogs.
Whereas the Bulldogs had a large core of experience, the Sharks were rebuilding with a young squad under new coach Stuart Raper.
"At Canterbury, everyone knows his role," Vagana said.
"At Cronulla, as a senior player, I put my own game on the back foot to help the younger guys."
Nevertheless, the Sharks almost made the semi-finals, and were still in the running going into the last round.
"We were very inconsistent, but in round 26 in Townsville playing the Cowboys, we still had a chance of making the top eight," he said.
"We were in contention right to the end. Hopefully, if we're bit more consistent next year, we'll be going for a top-four spot."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
we live in hope. I hope he has a go saturday arfo
