Player Sam Rapira

[PB_old]

Sam Rapira

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From Stuff again. Nice to see the old hands keeping the rookies in a positive frame of mind.

03 February 2006
By GIFFORD LEE

New teenage Warrior Sam Rapira won't be going down the rocky rookie road and says his family and senior teammates have shown him the path best travelled as he prepares to embark in the big league.

The former Waicoa-Bay Stallions prop/second-rower and now one of 25 fully contracted Warriors has taken time out from pre-season training to attend the NRL's rookie camp in Sydney that aims to prepare promising young players for life as a league star.

Current and former players who succumbed to controversy and women's welfare agencies spoke at the camp that received bad press last year after Newcastle rookie Dane Tilse was involved in an alcohol-related incident with a woman just a week after the 2005 conference.

Acts like Tilse's have often pushed rugby league from the back to the front pages but Rapira, 18, who has been with his girlfriend for the past 15 months, is focused on making headlines for all the right reasons.

"It made me think definitely. How to prepare yourself properly on and off the field and to start goal setting for where I want to be after my career," Rapira said. "I know where I want to be and that's starting games week-in-week-out. Nothing else matters to me at the moment."

After being plucked from age-group regional sides to the Stallions in the Bartercard Cup to captaining his country at Junior Kiwi level, Rapira has all the physical attributes to be a force with the Warriors.

The bright lights of Auckland and Sydney are a far cry from his Hamilton upbringing and his healthy pay-packet can allow him a life other 18-year-olds can only dream of. But Rapira is aware that in an instant that could all be taken away from him.

"My family have always brought me up well and taught me to be focused. The senior guys like Steve (Price), Ruben (Wiki) and (Clinton) Toopi are positive in everything they say."

Rapira weighs in at a sculpted 106kg and said he had dropped skin folds and picked up weight in muscle mass.

"I've never trained like this before but I feel in the best shape of my life. (Kevin) Campion worked us hard in the pre-season but now it's all worth it."

With three pre-season games against the Raiders, Cowboys and Bulldogs looming this month, Rapira was hoping to get his chance to impress coach Ivan Cleary in a Warriors jersey before the season proper begins on March 12.

Rapira's brother Steve, 17, is about to begin his second season in the Bartercard Cup and is tipped to join him at the Warriors in the future.

 

[valcharger_old]

Is looking like a good prospect so lets hope they give him a run at some stage during the season to see if he can make an impression at NRL level

 

[valcharger_old]

Is looking like a good prospect so lets hope they give him a run at some stage during the season to see if he can make an impression at NRL level

 

[sebastian_old]

The juinor kiwis prop Sam Rapira will join as 18th man when the warriors take on the eels at Waikato Stadium. Surley this is a polite way of dropping Lauaki.

 

[scottyb_old]

lets hope when he does get on the field, he add's a bit more spark than luaki does

 

[mosh_old]

Well I doubt it, this is a polite way to mock a youngster and tease him and make him believe he is going to get a game.

 

[Becs_old]

It will do him well just being there and being part of the team. Maybe someone is carrying an injury also and hes on standby if they are not fit by Sat night.

 

[Wiki_old]

Not meaning any disrespect for Tuakura but Rapira seems the best option for prop at the moment. Regardless of skill between the two it makes sense to breed the young guy doesn't it?

I mean we could bring Tuakura in for a few seasons or we could fast track Rapira and he could be here for ten seasons ...

I hope Hame is dropped for Sam.

 

[L N_old]

development is the key
rapira is the future
tuakura will be the journey men
like with villa going he will fill that void
but development of fringe players is what is crucial to the survivial of our club being competitive
lauaki, has the physical ability, but looks to lack the mental edge which is a vital cog to have, to futher progress into a consistent professional player

 

[KeepingTheFaith_old]

Rapira has to come first. Tuakura wouldn't be around for much longer than Wiki and Price. We can't afford to lose all 3 and then decide to blood young props all at once.

 

[Jesbass_old]

lets hope when he does get on the field, he add's a bit more spark than luaki does

Not sure what that 'when' is doing in that sentence, scottyb. The 18th man travels to every match, and only plays if injury forces someone out.

 

[scottyb_old]

i was meaning "WHEN" as in whenever he get's a game, whether it be this week, next week or whenever. i know what the 18th man is jess lol

 

[Jesbass_old]

i was meaning "WHEN" as in whenever he get's a game, whether it be this week, next week or whenever. i know what the 18th man is jess lol

Oh! Lol! :lol:

 

[mosh_old]

He wont get any game time or be developed so the clowns who are under the impression that he will or "He will benefit from being taken all the way to Hamilton, watch dropkicks like Lauaki who is inferior to him run on and be shite" Will make him a better player - yeah right.

 

[JonB_old]

Could Cleary be being tricky like old Ando and slip Sammy in at the final hour before kick off?

 

[PHANTOM MENACE_old]

Isnt Rapira from Hamilton, maybe cos hes at home he mite get a run

 

[warriors4life_old]

I hope he gets a run and a good game time so he can hold his spot on the bench for the season. There is no substitute for experience.

 

[JonB_old]

I hope he gets a run and a good game time so he can hold his spot on the bench for the season. There is no substitute for experience.

True that, brute stength isn't a bad subsitute on a league feild.

 

[AmeriKiwi_old]

Easy, kids... we`re all on the same side here, aye?

 

[Jesbass_old]

From the official website of the Vodafone Warriors, www.warriors.co.nz:

Prop Sam Rapira will make his first-grade debut for the Vodafone Warriors in their NRL clash against Wests Tigers at Ericsson Stadium on Saturday night.

With captain Steve Price on State of Origin duty with Queensland, the 19-year-old Huntly-raised Rapira comes onto the bench while Evarn Tuimavave is promoted to the starting line-up for the second time in three matches.

Rapira, yet another product from the club’s Allied Work Force elite development programme, was the Vodafone Warriors’ 18th man for their second-round match against Parramatta in Hamilton in March.

The other change in the side named by head coach Ivan Cleary today sees Kiwi back rower Louis Anderson return on the bench after being given a break for last weekend’s encounter with the St George Illawarra Dragons.

Centre Clinton Toopi, who was on the interchange bench against the Dragons, is out of the squad as is winger Todd Byrne, the 18th man in Wollongong.

“We always knew we were likely to lose Steve for Origin at this time of the year so it’s a great chance to bring Sam into first-grade football,†said Cleary.

“He deserves this. He has worked hard with the first-grade squad ever since we started off-season training and he has also been impressive for Waicoa Bay in the Bartercard Cup.â€Â

Cleary said a loss of form had forced him to omit Toopi.

“Clinton isn’t giving us what we expect of him at the moment,†he said.

“He needs to regroup and hopefully he’ll come back into contention again very soon. There’s no question about his ability. We just need some consistency from him.

“We used Simon Mannering in Clinton’s position against the Dragons and he did well.â€Â

Rapira will become the Vodafone Warriors’ 131st first-grader and the club’s sixth new player this year after Micheal Luck, Grant Rovelli, George Gatis, Patrick Ah Van and Misi Taulapapa. He is the Vodafone Warriors’ fourth NRL rookie this season joining Rovelli, Ah Van and Taulapapa.

“We’ve seen with Grant, Patrick and Misi that they’ve all handled the step up to the NRL really well,†said Cleary.

“While we are disappointed with our overall results this year, we’ve been pleased with the way the new boys have come in and shown what they can do. We’re looking forward to Sam taking his chance on Saturday night.â€Â

Both the Vodafone Warriors and Wests Tigers have lost their captains to Origin selection for this match, Price to Queensland and Tigers fullback Brett Hodgson to New South Wales.

But the Tigers will come to Ericsson Stadium with brilliant standoff Benji Marshall in their side this time. The Kiwi international missed the third-round encounter between the two sides in Christchurch on March 25 when the Vodafone Warriors won 26-10.

This match will be centre Tony Martin’s 99th first-grade appearance leaving him set to reach his 100th milestone against Cronulla on Saturday week.

Jarred Maxwell has been appointed referee on Saturday night. He controlled the Penrith-South Sydney match last weekend.