Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s first and only previous outing against his former Roosters team-mates won’t quickly fade from the memory cells.
No one can forget his golden point match-winning try in Gosford last April, a breath-taking finish to a breath-taking contest.
Cruelly his 2016 campaign would end two weeks later, denying him the chance to take on the Roosters in the return clash at Mount Smart Stadium.
So today, fully recovered from his devastating knee injury, he not only faces his old club in front of his home crowd for the first time but also does so as captain. It’s another big moment in a career already studded with high points.
The 23-year-old comes into the match in blistering form.
He energised the Vodafone Warriors from the get-go with his heavy involvement – 21 runs and 251 metres gained – in the season-opening win over Newcastle before being restricted to just 27 minutes after being concussed against Melbourne.
That kept him out of the following match against the Bulldogs but since then Tuivasa-Sheck has been in a rich vein of form.
He averages more than 190 metres so far, which extrapolates to 250 plus in his six 80-minute efforts outside the round two Storm match. He has also been involved all over the park coming into the backline and supporting up the middle.
This game is big for another reason, too. Later today the Kiwi team will be named for next Friday night’s Anzac Test against the Kangaroos in Canberra, with Tuivasa-Sheck set to make his return to international football after more than a year out of the side.
