Loobs
Living in the demountable.
Season looms as light at end of tunnel as Manly recruit Api Koroisau comes to terms with tragedy
39 minutes ago
Ben GloverFOX SPORTS
IT’S been the most trying six months of Manly recruit Api Koroisau’s life but the start of the 2016 season looms like the first crack of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
After a tough one-season stint at the Panthers stuck behind incumbent No.9 James Segeyaro, the livewire hooker was looking forward to another fresh start at Manly as he went out for a final farewell with his Penrith teammates — the traditional Mad Monday celebration in September.
That was the last time life felt normal for the 23-year-old, as he returned home that night to find his de facto girlfriend Cordelia had passed away.
It’s a tragedy that no one so young should have to deal with and it’s something he still finds extremely difficult to talk about as he forges a new life without her.
Instead, he’s focused on the positives: a new place living with reunited teammate Dylan Walker in Narrabeen, the laid-back lifestyle of the northern beaches, and his latest battle to secure a starting jersey, this time with fellow young gun Matt Parcell.
“I moved out to Narrabeen, I moved in with Dylan Walker, so it’s a couple of the ex-Souths boys back together,” Koroisau revealed to foxsports.com.au.
“He’s good, he’s good. We’ve known each other for about four or five years ... he’s a good character to have around — good energy.”
At the Sea Eagles’ open media session on Wednesday, good energy is one thing that’s not in short supply.
After quickly establishing himself as a leader at the club, Nate Myles is bouncing around cracking jokes and keeping the mood light.
Koroisau is polite and has a smile on his face, despite the extraordinary circumstances that have surrounded him this off-season, including a legal matter only resolved on Wednesday. He was fined $500 after pleading guilty to illegally entering a Bondi property on December 20.
Only a supportive club environment could account for Koroisau’s mood and he has nothing but good things to say about his teammates and the club’s new coaching staff.
“The lifestyle out here’s so cruisy and the team in itself — all the boys have been amazing and so have the coaching staff,” Koroisau said.
“The new guys at the club and the experienced guys have been really supportive and just incredible all around.
“Nate Myles is one of a kind. His communication skills and just his aura around the club are really incredible.
“He really gels the boys together and he’s got so much experience there too, so we all just listen to him as a leader.”
Then Koroisau’s attention turns back to football.
“I think it’s really important now with Marty Taupau there as well we’ve got that big power and explosiveness coming off the back and I think we’re going to be a team to be reckoned with this year.”
The premiership hooker would love to be part of that from round one and despite a shoulder injury that has hung around through the off-season, he still believes he’s right in the race to clinch the No.9 jersey ahead of Parcell.
With many of Manly’s big guns suiting up for the first time this year in Saturday’s trial against the Ipswich Jets, Koroisau will be forced to watch as Parcell gets another opportunity to push his claims, after an impressive first-up showing in the maroon and white at the Auckland Nines.
But he doesn’t see himself as at a disadvantage when it comes to selection for the season-opening Brookvale blockbuster against the Bulldogs on the first Friday in March.
“The shoulder’s actually quite good, I’m ahead of schedule, so hopefully I’ll be ready for round one,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m at a disadvantage, you still train pretty hard and you show a lot of what you’ve got at training, which is where it counts.
“(Trent) Barrett hasn’t really said anything to be honest.
“He said at the start of the season that the spot was up for grabs so I think that’s a good thing, it’s going to make us both try to get better and we’ll have to see how we go.
“It’s always good to have healthy competition around. It makes me want to be better and I think he (Parcell) would say the same.
“He’s a really talented boy, so we’ll have to see how we go in round one ... come round one, Baz will make his decision on what he wants.”
39 minutes ago
Ben GloverFOX SPORTS
IT’S been the most trying six months of Manly recruit Api Koroisau’s life but the start of the 2016 season looms like the first crack of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
After a tough one-season stint at the Panthers stuck behind incumbent No.9 James Segeyaro, the livewire hooker was looking forward to another fresh start at Manly as he went out for a final farewell with his Penrith teammates — the traditional Mad Monday celebration in September.
That was the last time life felt normal for the 23-year-old, as he returned home that night to find his de facto girlfriend Cordelia had passed away.
It’s a tragedy that no one so young should have to deal with and it’s something he still finds extremely difficult to talk about as he forges a new life without her.
Instead, he’s focused on the positives: a new place living with reunited teammate Dylan Walker in Narrabeen, the laid-back lifestyle of the northern beaches, and his latest battle to secure a starting jersey, this time with fellow young gun Matt Parcell.
“I moved out to Narrabeen, I moved in with Dylan Walker, so it’s a couple of the ex-Souths boys back together,” Koroisau revealed to foxsports.com.au.
“He’s good, he’s good. We’ve known each other for about four or five years ... he’s a good character to have around — good energy.”
At the Sea Eagles’ open media session on Wednesday, good energy is one thing that’s not in short supply.
After quickly establishing himself as a leader at the club, Nate Myles is bouncing around cracking jokes and keeping the mood light.
Koroisau is polite and has a smile on his face, despite the extraordinary circumstances that have surrounded him this off-season, including a legal matter only resolved on Wednesday. He was fined $500 after pleading guilty to illegally entering a Bondi property on December 20.
Only a supportive club environment could account for Koroisau’s mood and he has nothing but good things to say about his teammates and the club’s new coaching staff.
“The lifestyle out here’s so cruisy and the team in itself — all the boys have been amazing and so have the coaching staff,” Koroisau said.
“The new guys at the club and the experienced guys have been really supportive and just incredible all around.
“Nate Myles is one of a kind. His communication skills and just his aura around the club are really incredible.
“He really gels the boys together and he’s got so much experience there too, so we all just listen to him as a leader.”
Then Koroisau’s attention turns back to football.
“I think it’s really important now with Marty Taupau there as well we’ve got that big power and explosiveness coming off the back and I think we’re going to be a team to be reckoned with this year.”
The premiership hooker would love to be part of that from round one and despite a shoulder injury that has hung around through the off-season, he still believes he’s right in the race to clinch the No.9 jersey ahead of Parcell.
With many of Manly’s big guns suiting up for the first time this year in Saturday’s trial against the Ipswich Jets, Koroisau will be forced to watch as Parcell gets another opportunity to push his claims, after an impressive first-up showing in the maroon and white at the Auckland Nines.
But he doesn’t see himself as at a disadvantage when it comes to selection for the season-opening Brookvale blockbuster against the Bulldogs on the first Friday in March.
“The shoulder’s actually quite good, I’m ahead of schedule, so hopefully I’ll be ready for round one,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m at a disadvantage, you still train pretty hard and you show a lot of what you’ve got at training, which is where it counts.
“(Trent) Barrett hasn’t really said anything to be honest.
“He said at the start of the season that the spot was up for grabs so I think that’s a good thing, it’s going to make us both try to get better and we’ll have to see how we go.
“It’s always good to have healthy competition around. It makes me want to be better and I think he (Parcell) would say the same.
“He’s a really talented boy, so we’ll have to see how we go in round one ... come round one, Baz will make his decision on what he wants.”
