chadiwrx
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Canterbury players know what to expect when they face Wests *Tigers lock Martin Taupau at ANZ Stadium tonight. They were the ones who nicknamed him Marty “Kapow” when he used to play for the Bulldogs.
“I’ve actually only played against him a couple of times and he’s definitely one of the strongest ball-runners I’ve ever played against,’’ Bulldogs captain James Graham said of the NRL’s latest hitman.
“He is an incredibly strong man and I’ve sort of noticed as well he’s not just a one-trick pony. He actually plays with the ball a little bit, which makes it all that more *difficult to defend against.’’
Taupau’s ball skills didn’t really stand out in his last match, against South Sydney, but his aggression did. He took on the premiers in a performance that sometimes sailed a little too close to the wind.
Bulldogs lock Greg Eastwood wasn’t surprised by Taupau’s performance. He has played alongside him for both the Bulldogs and the Kiwis. He agreed he was like Manly’s Steve Matai — hard as nails on the field, lovely bloke off it.
“I watched him the other day against Souths and he really wanted to muscle up against the Souths pack,’’ Eastwood said.
“We’ve got to be wary of him on Friday because he’ll come to try and prove a point. Players always play better when they play their old clubs and I’m not going to expect anything less from Marty.
“He puts everything on the field and off it he’s a good guy.
“Our wives hung out together (at Belmore) and our kids played together. It was a bit sad when he left but our partners still keep in contact. He’s laidback (off the field), funny and loves his family. It’s just when he gets on the field something turns inside him.’’
Canterbury bench forward Tim Browne used to play alongside Taupau in the NSW Cup at the Bulldogs. What’s the craziest thing he’s ever seen him do?
“Probably his hairstyles,’’ Browne said, laughing.
“We played junior footy in the reserve grade together, and were gym partners and what not. He’s always been a very tough player, very aggressive, very strong and always consistent in what he does.
“I like how he plays, his style of football and he’s a gentle giant off the field, so it should be a great contest in the middle of the park. What he’s doing lately, and the footy he’s been playing, he’s always been like that. He’s just been waiting for his opportunity to come and get a starting spot in the team he has, and he’s flourishing in that role.’’
The Bulldogs have managed to win consecutive games against Parramatta and Manly in the past fortnight but haven’t hit top gear this season.
Graham said they would need to improve considerably if they were hoping to match it with the Tigers tomorrow night — *especially with Marty Kapow leading the charge.
“It probably wasn’t our best performance (against Manly), but we’re striving for perfection, we’re striving for 10 out of 10, we’re striving for 100 per cent completion rate, we’re striving to be the best we possibly can be,’’ Graham said.
“I only saw the first half (of the Tigers game against Souths) but they looked very strong. They’ve got a very, very good forward pack that play with plenty of aggression and off the back of that they’ve got a really good spine too.
“I personally think Marty’s been playing well these past 18 months and he’s been given an *opportunity at Wests Tigers and he’s found himself with representative honours in playing for New Zealand.
“Credit to him for doing that and every time he carries the ball he’s a handful, isn’t he? He’s so strong and so powerful and it will be a tough ask come Friday *evening to deal with the go *forward that he helps set this Wests Tigers team.’’
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