For too long it has been said that rugby league is becoming overly bland and robotic.
Free-flowing creative prowess and natural brawn have diminished in a game which has been sanitised by players who complete, win the wrestle and tick statistical boxes.
But every now and then somebody comes along who bucks that trend, reminding you of why you fell in love with the game in the first place.
Maika Sivo, whose smile is infectious and whose arrival to this level alone is the definition of unorthodox, has the ability to do just that.
Coming from a Fijian village on a whim to play bush football he has found his way to the top grade in just a handful of seasons.
That boy’s own tale is coupled with an innate ability to wreak havoc upon opposition defences — as the Broncos found out on Sunday afternoon.
It’s no wonder here then, at Bankwest Stadium, he forces the loudest of cheers and groans whenever the ball comes the way of a player whose teammates claim, still does not know the rules.
There is a collective gasp as the Fijian brute receives the Steeden ready to induce 30,000 supporters with the kind of dizzying frisson which makes you feel like you’ve been kissed for the very first time.
That sharp intake of breath hints at a kind of anxiety, coupled with a nervous giddiness, that shows that nobody quite knows what he’s going to do.
In a game which has become increasingly predictable, the 25-year-old places doubt in the minds of all, with the many destructive tools in his arsenal.
What will he unleash? The Pacquiao-esque jab of a fend which cannons out of his shoulder as if propelled from a rocket launcher that we saw used on Jake Turpin in the first half and Jamayne Isaako in the second.
Perhaps it is the two bursts of speed which he produced either side of the break, hugging the touchline while juggling the ball to see off the best efforts of Kotoni Staggs for his tries.
Bankwest erupts into this Coliseum-like cauldron of noise, its guests screech with every remaining sinew: “Sivo, Sivo, Sivo” as the winger comes in off his wing to rattle the rib cage of Matt Gillett.
All up, the Fijian finished with 169 metres, five tackle busts, two linebreaks and two tries — his 21st and 22nd for the season. And he could have had so many more.
Statistics are irrelevant to some. Maybe they are to Sivo, too. He doesn’t know the rules, so they say.
But for everybody inside Bankwest Stadium on Sunday he was the thrill-a-minute, high-octane 6ft4 bundle of excitement on the wing.
As long as there are players like Sivo, rugby league won’t become robotic anytime soon.
In fact, a player of his ability can make you fall in love with the game all over again.
Replies
6ft4, holy shite!
Not sure if anyone noticed the try where Sivo did the juggling act before scoring , McCullough was closest to him but didn't even try to tackle him, could have just nudged him while he had no control of the ball and he would have spilled it.Very poor effort on the hookers behalf.
Yep I noticed that too. It was a really poor effort. He’s done. So is Boyd. Boyd’s farcical attempt to take that bomb where it hit his back instead leading to a Parra try was horrendous for a bloke on $800k and supposedly Captain. His efforts this year have been a disgrace. He’s holding the club back. I’d have him playing reserve grade even if he still must be paid his full wage.