NRL: Beast seeks confidence boost by Eels

Manu Vatuvei is looking forward to getting off the couch and into the action against the Parramatta Eels this weekend. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Believe it or not, Manu Vatuvei has been suffering a wee crisis of confidence lately.

Hard to imagine for a player coming off a career year in 2010; a season in which he scored 20 tries in 19 games to finish just one off the competition lead; a season in which he won a one-horse race for the club's player-of-the-year award; a season during which he signed a lucrative contract extension that saw him take over from Steve Price and Brent Tate as the club's best-paid player.

Hard to imagine, but true enough. It all adds up to a fair bit to live up to.

And the inactivity caused by the broken arm he suffered in last year's Four Nations match against England, coupled with a corked thigh from his only trial run against the Eels in Rotorua almost a month ago, has left him feeling like he has a bit to prove.

"Throughout my whole career I have got injured and it takes me down, it takes away my confidence," Vatuvei says.

That's why, if he could add anything to his growing list of achievements, it would be an injury-free season. Heading into his eighth season, Vatuvei has notched 20 games just once - in 2007.

"For sure it would be a massive achievement," he says. "I get real angry when I'm not on the field."

Vatuvei doesn't expect to be getting angry that often this season. Although he cancelled plans for routine off-season cartilage clean-up, he doesn't expect his knee to give him any trouble. He has also tried to combat the recurring hamstring problems that plagued him last season, shedding 6kg and undergoing core strengthening work.

"This year I am confident I can have a good year with injuries. I feel better than in [previous] years.

"I'm not saying I'll have another great season. I've just got to try my best and see how I go. I've got to start where I finished last year and just try to maintain it. It is going to be hard. There is a lot of pressure on me to back it up."

Like his teammates, Vatuvei is still smarting at the way the club's 2010 season ended with elimination from the finals in the first round. Despite finishing fifth, upset victories by the lower-placed Roosters and Raiders meant the Warriors were eliminated after losing to the Titans on the Gold Coast.

Getting knocked out while sitting on the couch at home was particularly unpleasant, Vatuvei said.

"I stayed up all night watching it. When the [Raiders] result came through I was pretty gutted. I was down on myself. I blamed myself for the mistakes I did in that [Gold Coast] game. My wife said I was a bit too hard on myself, but that's how I am. How I am now. I've got to be hard on myself, learn from my mistakes and bounce back from them."

Having recovered from the depths of despair after a nightmare outing against Parramatta in 2007 to become the main man at the Warriors, bouncing back is something Vatuvei has certainly excelled at.

In a recent survey his captain Simon Mannering rated Vatuvei the best player in the world. His teammate, centre partner and big brother figure Jerome Ropati also believes Vatuvei is at the height of his powers.

"He is at the top of his career," Ropati said.

"He is playing good football and he is training well. He is one of the most watched players in the NRL in terms of teams targeting to contain him.

"He can go down as one of the greatest Warriors ever to play the game. It's a privilege playing inside him. Everyone talks about his size and his power but his smarts - his mental state - on the field is tremendous as well."

Despite his relatively new superstar status, Vatuvei remains remarkably grounded. The idea that he would ever find himself fighting at a burger bar at 3am is simply unthinkable.

"He is a family guy," Ropati says. "He knows when he is off the field how to release the pressure.

"He knows how to relax and spend time with his family and I think that is what keeps him stable and makes him the player that he is."

Now, with his confidence in need of a pick-me-up, fate has thrown Vatuvei a meeting with the Eels. This time you sense there will be no calamities.

"It has been a bit too long for me," he says. "After breaking my arm I was just sitting there watching the games in the Four Nations. And I've been watching pre-season. So I just can't wait to get back on the field and play again."