Manu Vatuvei may have Semi Radradra covered in terms of the hardest player veteran Sam Perrett has had to mark but the Canterbury winger may change his tune when he and Radradra collide on Friday night.
Perrett nominated Vatuvei as the most difficult player he has had to try and bring down in his 13-year career with Radradra "right up there" for Perrett who has lined up against the likes of Lote Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor and Brett Morris.
"I'm looking forward to it," Perrett said. "He's right up there [with the toughest players to handle]. Players like him, the likes of Manu Vatuvei, very, very tough competitors and hard to stop. You need three to four players to help you out – I'll be calling numbers over whenever I can. He's one of those boys that you've just got to take his space off him and try and get up him as quick as you can."
Prolific scorer: Semi Radradra takes some stopping. Photo: Getty Images
Statistics provided by Champion Data show Radradra has easily been the most damaging winger in the NRL this season. He leads the NRL's wingers in average runs, run metres, offloads, tries scored, try assists and line breaks.
He also sits equal top on the try-scorer list with Perrett's wing partner Curtis Rona. The duo have crossed 16 times. Radradra has scored 11 tries from his past five games.
Perrett said it would be a tough task to stop Radradra when the Eels play the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on Friday night. "I guess it's going to be a challenge for us then to try and minimise that as much as we can," Perrett said. "If not, give him nothing at the end of the day, that'll be a real win for us.
"I don't hate coming up against these boys, I actually look forward to the challenge. You know you've got to be on your best game. That's why I like playing against those teams and those players in particular."
Perrett – who is giving 10 centimetres and six kilograms to his opposite – is expecting plenty of attention to come his way via the high ball.
"In the scheme of things, I'm one of the shorter ones," Perrett said. "But I've been in the game for a while and I back my ability to read and position [myself] better, and time things better. That's what it all comes down to at the end of the day ... if you play your cards right, you can always handle it."
Replies
Perrett is a great competitor.
Tear him a new one Semi!
Watch the Morris boys put the block play on for Perrett under the high ball.
Radradra sits on top of the tryscorer’s list with 16, along side Canterbury flyer Curtis Rona. Eels playmaker Corey Norman said Radradra completed plenty of work, not just in attack.
“He’s doing all the little things right as well, which is more pleasing than him just sitting on the wing and scoring tries — he’s coming in and taking hit-ups and taking pressure off the forwards, then getting back out there and scoring tries, which is even better,’’ Norman said.