Roger Tuivasa-Sheck needs 409m to become the first NRL player to break the 6000m barrier. Photo / Getty Images
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck needs 409m to become the first NRL player to break the 6000m barrier. Photo / Getty Images
The NFL radar blips as star Kiwi fullback nears a record 6000m before joining the Warriors in 2016
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck sometimes looks as if he could be the Six Million Dollar Man - he rescued a man after a car crash this year - but the talented 22-year-old is close to being the Six Thousand Metre Man.
Tuivasa-Sheck is on the cusp of becoming the first player in the game's 108-year history in Australasia to run 6000m in a season.
Heading into tonight's preliminary-final against the Broncos, he already has 5591m and will need his side to advance to the grand final to give himself a shot at the elusive milestone.
No player has broken 5000m since the recording of detailed data started in 1999 - and in last week's elimination semifinal against the Bulldogs, he ran for more than 200m (264m) for the 14th time this season. He's averaging 215m a game this season.
No one has averaged more than 200m a game before this season, and former Warriors front-rower and captain Steve Price had the highest previous record average - 195m in 2007.
It's little wonder the Sydney Roosters fullback is being compared to Jarryd Hayne, who held the previous record for running 200m for more 10 times during his 2009 campaign.
Hayne's sensational switch from league to the San Francisco 49ers has sparked debates over what other NRL players could foot it in the NFL and Tuivasa-Sheck's name is frequently mentioned as a front-runner to follow in the former Parramatta Eel's slipstream.
Hayne's US manager, Jack Bechta, got wind of Tuivasa-Sheck's talents and in August sent him a clear message that he was on his radar as a potential convert, telling him via Twitter: "I enjoy watching your work!"
Tuivasa-Sheck has been a revelation at the back for the Roosters this season, after making the switch from the wing following the retirement of club legend Anthony Minichiello.
His natural running game and sharp footwork have always been features of his play but he has worked to increase his involvement and improve his support play and passing game.
The Roosters knew they had a special talent emerging but the club's chief operating officer of football, Brian Canavan, says no one thought he would adjust to the new role so quickly.
"We didn't know Roger was going to play No1, and stay No1, and be as good as he has," he said. "His level of desire in recent times, particularly in his move from wing to fullback, has been outstanding.
"Once he got over the 'Nervous Nellies' part of that repositioning, he's now made it his own and he wants to be the best he possibly can be in that position.
"Under the guidance of Anthony Minichiello, he's developed speed endurance, which means he can repeat speed efforts time and time again during a game and that's why he's headed towards 6000m for the season."
Canavan says his attacking arsenal and rare genetic make-up would make Tuivasa-Sheck a stand-out in any football code. Photo / Getty
Tuivasa-Sheck's time at the club is drawing to a close. In 2016 he will leave Bondi Junction for a three-year deal with the Warriors.
If coach Andrew McFadden and managing director Jim Doyle hope to raise the club's standards and improve the level of professionalism ahead of next season, they are on to a winner with their incoming fullback.
Not only does he possess outstanding footballing ability, he also has a top-class personality and attitude to go with it.
Canavan can't say a bad word about the former Otahuhu College student. He is adamant the Warriors are getting a quality individual who will only enhance and strengthen the club's culture.
"That's exactly it," explains Canavan. "As we say in the club, if we had a team of Roger Tuivasa-Shecks we'd only need three or four staff. He's that easy to manage and that easy to coach.
"He's a model athlete on and off the field and a very humble boy. He's very quiet, very humble and very respectful. Those are the three words that keep coming up in descriptions of him.
"He's got freakish talents and he's really just showing it now and there's more to come. Unfortunately he won't be wearing our jersey."
Canavan says his attacking arsenal and rare genetic make-up would make Tuivasa-Sheck a stand-out in any football code.
"He's certainly got a skill set as a potent attacking player in any code of football. The sidestep is executed with power. The majority of players, when they sidestep decelerate but he goes the other way, he actually accelerates. So that's a freakish technique and it reflects his fast-twitch fibres. He can accelerate out of a sidestep and he can sidestep off both feet."
But raw talent and natural physical gifts are not the only attributes that have enabled Tuivasa-Sheck to shine.
His strong family background and values have played a big a part in his development and kept him grounded, while also endearing him to his teammates and staff at all levels of the Roosters' organisation.
Richie Barnett, another player to have worn both the Kiwis and Roosters fullback jerseys, is astounded by Tuivasa-Sheck's all-round game and believes his arrival at Mt Smart Stadium will open up new possibilities for the Warriors' attack.
"It's really supporting the players around him when the forwards start rolling through, he'll be there in support and that's an area I think the Warriors were lacking in this year," said Barnett.
"No one was really pushing up and Sam Tomkins wasn't the guy who would support - he would distribute out the back and wide out.
"Now they've got someone who will be there just in case a Ben Matulino offload comes up or if there's a quick play-the-ball and Issac Luke goes on a run. Roger can then get into dummy-half or run off the first receiver and use his step. There's so many options for a player like him."
But Barnett is quick to point out that Tuivasa-Sheck is not all flash and dash and notes that he has the confidence to back himself physically against a straight defensive line.
