Inu, Mateo: We are Warriors

Krisnan Inu was educated alongside Feleti Mateo, cracked first grade at the same time, and even inherited his first - and so far, only - real job from him.As part of a program run by Parramatta for promising junior rugby league players, Mateo worked "pushing buttons'' at the Royal Life Saving Society, while a 17-year-old Inu was acting as a bouncer at a homeless shelter.When Mateo was promoted to first grade, and Inu took his place at the life saving society, he was told he would have to work ''bloody hard'', because his predecessor had spent all his time surfing the internet. The scheme has since been canned. ''Some of the boys weren't going in - like you,'' says Inu, grinning at Mateo.Advertisement: Story continues below When the now 26-year-old Mateo, captain of the Tongan national side and with 88 first-grade games for the Eels, and Inu, now 23, with four New Zealand caps and 78 outings for Parramatta, signed for the Warriors, they did not come as a package deal.Only 10 days before they both committed to the club did they spot each other making clandestine visits to meet Warriors officials at the Hyatt Hotel in Sydney. Only then did they realise what was happening.Their careers have been full of such synergies. Both admit their best year came in 2007, and both credit the tutelage of former Parramatta coach Michael Hagan for it. Both have since experienced frustrating, unpredictable times, and they agree that leaving the Eels is about finally fulfilling their readily apparent natural talent.Mateo stood up and addressed the faithful at the Eels' season-ending function, and told a packed Parramatta Leagues Club that he would be back.Inu admits he has been asked plenty of times by people in Sydney why he was leaving his local club, and says: "I know I wanted to stay.''Raised in the rugby league-dominated sprawl of Sydney's western suburbs, both Inu and Mateo - graduates of Westfield Sports High, a noted football factory - were identified and signed early by the Eels. Inu says leaving the club felt like leaving home for the first time.While the Warriors have often struggled to attract the best players from Sydney to move to New Zealand, there is no equivocation from either about being in Auckland. Mateo and Inu arrived two weeks early for what has become the most gruelling pre-season of their careers, and have been flatting together, with Inu driving his old mate across town for 7am training sessions.Mateo's partner arrived last week, and they have begun house-hunting.Inu and his fiancee have already bought a home, and have begun attending the same Mormon church as the family of former NRL players Louis, Fraser and Vinnie Anderson. Inu spent his first seven years in Beach Haven, on Auckland's North Shore, before his parents emigrated to Sydney, and has proved to have a solid memory of where all the McDonald's outlets are located.The pair have only good things to say about the club, its culture and the country (or what little they've seen of it).''It's hard to make a judgment, getting flogged every day, you don't see much of the country but I can honestly say I am enjoying it,'' Mateo says. ''That first week is daunting. But everything just fell into place.''We're perched in the Warriors staff canteen at Mt Smart, straight after a weights session, and our interview is briefly interrupted as the duo score Big Day Out tickets from Warriors trainer Dayne Norton.''You get that feeling of starting all over again,'' Inu adds. ''But as soon as we came in, after less than 10 minutes of that first session, we felt right at home. The boys are so welcoming.''But for the brilliance of his childhood friend Israel Folau, Inu would have been the Dally M Rookie of the Year in 2007, the season in which he made his Test debut after just a single NRL game. He's quick, he's strong, he can step and he can kick goals. Mateo, who was a Junior Kangaroo, but describes captaining Tonga as his proudest moment, is that rare collision of size, strength and creativity. Both give the sense that there is so much more to come.''I think I plateaued a bit last year,'' explains Mateo, who consulted Warriors coach Ivan Cleary and stand-off James Maloney in particular before taking the plunge and changing clubs. ''I stuck in there and was just hanging on to my spot at Parra. It was time for us to get out and get a fresh start.''Inu says they will do it harder at the Warriors, and that's good.''I know I wanted to stay, but then the opportunity came up here, and things didn't happen for us over there, so I took it with two hands,'' he nods. ''I think it's good for us to start something new, to get out of our comfort zone - we needed to better ourselves on and off the field. I think we were going with the flow too much over there.''Then Mateo, who has often proved one of the more articulate and intelligent players of his generation, launches into a long explanation about the end of his Parramatta career - and how unhappy he is with the club, which reached for the old salary cap explanation when he left. And for the first time, he reveals he could have left two years earlier to join Manly, but declined."It wasn't like we needed to get out of Parra - if we had been offered decent contracts, sure, we both would've stayed,'' he begins. ''But I knew my career needed to step up, and the Warriors made it so easy for us to make this decision. They made it so clear they wanted us in this team."It's so much better when you feel wanted, and I honestly didn't feel wanted at Parra. I felt what they offered me was a courtesy offer."I was a bit dirty on the club. It has been said a lot that loyalty is out of the game - I knocked back a big offer from Manly a few years back to stay at Parra, and I felt it would be repaid next time 'round. But they are going in different directions, people have changed in different positions and the whole environment has changed.''Mateo has, after all, fought back once before when it seemed Parramatta did not want him. After two serious injuries in his late teens, the Eels allowed him to go to England, that traditional burial ground for ageing footballers, when he was just 19. He quickly picked up a British passport - his mother is English - and within a week was playing for the then London Broncos. ''It was a different lifestyle, a different style of footy. I was playing Jersey Flegg [under-19s] then, and to go from that to playing against men - I'd never done it in my life. It made me grow up fast. I was looking out for myself, buying my own groceries, when a week before I was still leaving my clothes on the bedroom floor and my mum was picking them up. It was a transformation for me.''As soon as he returned home, he moved out of his parents' home, and while he endured another year of reserve grade, by the start of 2007 he was ready. So was Inu.The arrival of a new coach, Michael Hagan, was the catalyst. The Eels ran fifth that season, and beat the Warriors and Bulldogs before succumbing to Melbourne in the preliminary final.''If he saw talent, he would back it,'' Mateo says. ''JT [Jason Taylor, Hagan's predecessor] never wanted to use Jarryd Hayne, but 'Hages' came in and threw him a bone. He gave Kris a go. He would go out on a limb. He told me I would get a go at [No.6], I worked hard at training, and it was the best year of my career so far.''Inu made his debut in round three, deputising for Timana Tahu, a player he says has been a huge influence on him. Naturally shy, but friendly when he opens up, Inu says Tahu taught him to relax. "I don't like taking things too seriously unless I have to,'' he says.Inu was raised in the southwest suburb of Minto, childhood friends with Hayne and Folau, a place he says was "rough, but not as rough as [Auckland's] Otara''. While he never played junior representative football, his stint at the life saving society's headquarters was part of a scheme for elite juniors to ready them for first grade. The homeless shelter probably helped toughen him up as well.''They would fight over dumb things, like, 'He's got a bigger potato than me,' and I would just stand there,'' he says sheepishly. "I was tall for my age, so everyone was just staring at me, worried I would try and steal their food.''Inu came through the grades alongside Hayne, Eels hooker Matt Keating, Manly wing David Williams and Junior Kiwis halfback Marcus Perenara, whose dad, Bernie, coached New Zealand A. Perenara snr happened to ask Inu one day if he had any New Zealand heritage, and if he had ever played fullback. ''I said, 'Yeah, sort of,''' Inu recounts - and found himself being picked for the A team in 2004 and 2005, long before he'd played first grade.Then he played fullback for the Kiwis in the 2007 Anzac Test after that single first-grade game, deputising for Brent Webb, and let no one down, although this writer can remember how he spent the week looking very stunned. ''It was pretty funny,'' he says. ''I played the Test on Friday, and came back to Parra - and played premier league [reserve grade] on Sunday. The way I was back then, whatever footy I could play, I did. I just loved the game.''After several spells in reserve grade since, all Inu wants to do now is play 26 weeks of NRL football. He's happy to do that at wing, centre or fullback. Mateo also does not know what his role will be. He says his best year ever was in 2007, when he played stand-off, but cheerily admits that he's hardly a conventional No.6.''Ivan [Cleary] doesn't know,'' he adds. ''And he's the boss. So I am still waiting. And it doesn't worry me too much.''Neither wants to roll in with big, bold statements about how good they will be. Mateo says he sees no reason the Warriors cannot win the competition.''They did well without us last year,'' Inu offers. ''So for me, I don't want to be the hero, coming in to save them, I just want to add that little bit to the team and do my part.''Mateo, who has been pushed at times into the infamous ''impact'' role, wants to play for a full 80 minutes a game ''without blowing too much''. Neither has shirked the work in pre-season. Mateo was sick, but still fronted for one of the toughest sessions, 90 minutes slogging up the steep hills of Auckland's notorious Glover Park. The Warriors want him to shed weight, and so does he.''It's no secret that I have always been a bit on the heavier side, but I have worked hard this year to try and trim down. I've lost a bit, and I've got a bit to go. Every day is a battle for me to keep the weight off … they signed us thinking we can bring something different, so it's about if we can supply something extra.''They don't have long to go. Round one, on March 12, brings the Eels to Auckland, a game switched to Eden Park in anticipation of a bigger crowd. Both have plenty of family coming. ''I can't think of a better way to start the season,'' Mateo says.

I remember we lost like 9 first graders for the start of the 2007 season, that were part of the 2005 minor premiers team, and part of the disapointing 2006 season.

We got a new coach for 2007 and had a vastly different team for the new season. I remember thinking we are gone!

We ended up bringing back some so called "old players " like Ian Hindmarsh and we came 5th and were one game away from the Grand Final beaten by a cheating Melbourne team.

Sounds familiar with 09,10 and 2011 doesnt it?????

09 made GF similar to 05, 2010 disapointing like in 06, sacked the coach. 07 few old heads brought in and new coach no one gave them a chance...... "NEW JERSEYS" for the season.

all like in 2011!!

Is this Deja Vu?

I was dirty when we lost Mckinnon, Morrison, Morris, etc.

relax people let it play out!

"22 they were introduced right smack bang in the last iteration of the teams prime.
The biggest issue with anything the zebras do is consistency and a fair share for bad teams.The issue with being a bad side they handicap themselves and it magnifies…"

"That's a spicy one, Seraph.
Distinguishing between 'hate', 'criticism' and 'analysis' is a bit like separating spaghetti mid boil. Theoretically possible. Emotionally scarring.
Mild to hyper-aggressive criticism is the most commonplace in cyber…"

Replies

blueNgold January 30, 2011 at 10:37am

Good article.

I still believe that they will both be largely dissapointing this season.
PARRADISE January 30, 2011 at 10:39am

all i can say is...............FUCK

Mateo stated "hell be back at parra"

Inu stated"he wanted to stay"

We lost 2 great juniors........I would have loved to seen what Kearney could "HAVE" brought our of these boys, especially Mateo.

Goodluck boys im a fan of you both and hopefully get to see youse back at home: PARRAMATTA!
george blue n gold January 30, 2011 at 10:44am

Wow that was a long article
Camo January 30, 2011 at 11:04am

Haha not wrong!!
David January 30, 2011 at 11:15am

They will be back and back to lift the trophy. 2014 should be the year they return and I'm waiting for the day it's announced that they resign with Parra.
Haryd Jayne January 30, 2011 at 11:17am

Great article. I will miss Mateo the most, but lets see what our fresh blood can bring in 2011! good luck to the boys
Stephen Kearney January 30, 2011 at 11:26am

Mateo is a brilliant player. He is by far one of our biggest losses in recent memory. In 2008 he was our best player in my opinion. Sad to see him go.
Sir Col "THE NODDY MUSHROOM" January 30, 2011 at 11:38am

Why oh why are we still lamenting Mateo and Inu going to the Warriors.

This is the 1Eyed Eel site - not the Warriors (Inu/Mateo) or Dogs (Keating/Wright) or any other site.

They have GORNE boys and girls - Get over it.

We have lost plenty of young talent in the past but what does it change?

NOTHING !!!!!!!!!!!

We have what is (apparently) shaping up to be a very good team / coach combination for 2011.

Why are we NOT supporting our own team.

I suppose next we can expect a blog about John Mannah extending his contract with the Sharks last year and not returning home to Parra.

SHEESH !!!!!!!!!! This off season is really starting to drag on.
Johnny Suede January 30, 2011 at 2:41pm

We all love Mateo because he summed up the spirit of the Eels. Local boy, flamboyant, took a chance, when it worked, could beat anyone. Problem was it rarely worked. For the one week of brilliance we had to suffer three weeks of dropped balls, missed tackles and embarrassing loses.

As the top teams show - Drags, Storm (when they're not cheating) - it's discipline, discipline and discipline that wins the premiership.

Mateo's like the funny kid at school. Great entertainment, not much else.
Blue & Gold Blood January 30, 2011 at 2:57pm

I remember we lost like 9 first graders for the start of the 2007 season, that were part of the 2005 minor premiers team, and part of the disapointing 2006 season.

We got a new coach for 2007 and had a vastly different team for the new season. I remember thinking we are gone!

We ended up bringing back some so called "old players " like Ian Hindmarsh and we came 5th and were one game away from the Grand Final beaten by a cheating Melbourne team.

Sounds familiar with 09,10 and 2011 doesnt it?????

09 made GF similar to 05, 2010 disapointing like in 06, sacked the coach. 07 few old heads brought in and new coach no one gave them a chance...... "NEW JERSEYS" for the season.

all like in 2011!!

Is this Deja Vu?

I was dirty when we lost Mckinnon, Morrison, Morris, etc.

relax people let it play out!

of 2

This reply was deleted.

Eels Blogs

Inu, Mateo: We are Warriors

Replies

More stuff to read

Eels blogs

Well every one this mite the last time

Josh Kerr

Set Restarts + Are Ruining the Game

Side for next week ?

Note: this page contains paid content.

Social Blogs

LUKE METCALF

NSW Origin Squad 2025

I say if we lose this week against Newcastle we will come last

Jim Sarantinos on SEN: Moses an outside chance before R9

Note: this page contains paid content.