NRL: Unlikely lads form a solid partnership of contrast

Shaun Berrigan has played 199 first grade games. Photo / Getty Images

How long they last together on the Warriors right edge is uncertain but Shaun Berrigan and Bill Tupou have formed a needs-must alliance over the past three matches. It has helped keep the team in the top eight as they plough into the last seven rounds of the NRL season with centre and wing options Glen Fisiiahi, Lewis Brown and Jerome Ropati out injured and Krisnan Inu out of favour.

It is a combination of contrasts. Berrigan is the veteran who played his 199th first grade game on Friday after debuting with the Broncos in 1999. He has already played three seasons with Hull, been in a Queensland jumper 15 times and an Australian one 14 times. The 32-year-old is weighing up heading into the building trade if he cannot secure a contract anywhere next year.

Tupou is just beyond rookie status with 18 appearances to date, including 12 last season when he graduated from the Toyota Cup. He celebrated his 21st birthday earlier this month. He has a contract until the end of next year but seems destined to be on the periphery while contemporaries Kevin Locke and Fisiiahi are deemed more useful. However, what seems a unanimous verdict across the club is Tupou's qualities as a solid player are matched by a reputation as a team man.

The two have had some fine moments of late. Berrigan seized a James Maloney grubber to score against Gold Coast, boosting his confidence; likewise Tupou was fuelled when he got a ball with an open line in the same match. Sure, there has been some muddling too - like Tupou miscalculating the bounce of the ball on Friday night and Jonathan Wright swooping to score; and Billy Slater threading a grubber through the line and scoring for Melbourne in round 16 - but defence has probably been their biggest asset.

Former Kiwis captain-turned-analyst Richie Barnett says they have come into form. "Berrigan's always been a solid defender and has settled into a rhythm with more of the quality and confidence you'd expect from someone that experienced. He works well with Tupou who does a handy job bringing the ball back on the kick return. "

Berrigan says the pair share decent communication on the right edge.

"Since the pre-season trials I've had big wraps on Billy. He reads defence well; he's super-fast and strong from working hard in the gym and it's paid off. He's had his chance and is a consistent, safe player to have in the team."

"I like working with Shaun," Tupou says. "We talk a lot and work well together on D [defence]. I've got to communicate well when I drop back. I have to tell him so he knows and passes it up the line. We're quite good at that."

But Tupou is aware his days in the first team could end as early as next week if Fisiiahi is declared fit.

"There's a lot of competition [out wide]; one bad game can cost you whereas in the past I was cruising playing for top sides at age group level. You can't do that with guys pushing for first grade spots. Manu is an automatic selection [on the left wing] so I'm desperately trying to keep my spot to show I'm the one who's ready."

Barnett says Tupou is always going to be useful to call on but the excitement factor of Fisiiahi's pace and Locke's fullback skills may tip the balance.

"Locke is wasted as a winger; he's a born fullback who is difficult to read. He also seems to have had a changed attitude since his off-field dramas this season. He seems more committed now. That means you'd push Fisiiahi on the wing when he returns - you've got to get him in there somehow - and that means Tupou could miss out, but he's a great guy to have in the squad.

"You've also got to consider what Krisnan Inu's role will be. If he can keep up his commitment he's got plenty to offer and could threaten to get back."

As for Berrigan, he's relaxed on his future. "I'm keen to play wherever an option pops up next year and do what is best for my family.

"I enjoyed renovating a house in England for three years and my brother-in-law is a builder so I could do that, joining a lot of my mates from school who have trades."