|
A player with such astonishing natural gifts he could be anything - but those on the inside say the big man just doesn't know how good he can be. Signed by the Warriors out of Auckland's Mangere East club in 1996, he was dazzling for the Warriors' Under-19 side in 1997 when he scored 17 tries in 19 appearances. Well over the 100kg mark, he has real pace, fantastic ball handling skills and exceptional evasive ability for such a big man. Showed that off a number of times in 1999 when he scored seven tries, perhaps the best of them when he left Newcastle fullback Robbie O'Davis clutching nothing but air. A two-year Junior Kiwi in 1997 and 1998, he made a tryscoring debut for the Warriors against North Sydney in 1998 and scored three more (including a double against South Sydney) while stringing together eight appearances, seven off the bench. Lauitiiti was named the Warriors' Development Player of the Year. Frank Endacott took him to England for the Kiwis' three-test tour but he didn't have any game time; in fact, he's still to make his Kiwi debut but he surely will some time soon. More extensively used by the Warriors last year, Mark Graham putting him in the run-on side seven times in 20 appearances.
|
