Fonua-Blake, who was granted an early release from the New Zealand Warriors so he could be closer to family in Sydney, preferred to praise his teammates.
“I’m a product of how good the boys have been going,” he told this masthead.
“Every day I come in and learn something new. I’m just trying to help put us on the front foot and put the spine in good position to pick teams apart.
“Canberra have been the benchmark all year, their middles do a lot of great work.
“But I feel like on our day when we get it right, very few teams can stick with us.
“Coming into week one, a lot of the comp didn’t really want to get the Roosters first-up, but we didn’t back down, and we came over the top of them. We need to keep doing that.”
Sharks prop Addin Fonua-Blake takes on the Roosters last Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
Some Raiders fans will never forget Fonua-Blake for mocking them after Manly won a game in 2019, which prompted Canberra officials to tell him to “grow up”. Fonua-Blake said he had matured since that moment six seasons ago.
His showdown against Raiders pair Joe Tapine and Josh Papalii will be an international appetiser, with the trio to feature for Tonga, New Zealand, and Samoa, respectively, in the Pacific Championships next month.
Fellow front-rower Rudolf said of Fonua-Blake: “He’s someone when you’re running out next to him, you have so much confidence that he will get you on the front foot, he has the best footwork of any big man in the game, and he gets our sets rolling.”
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Playmaker Nicho Hynes added: “He doesn’t have to say too much, but he has that presence.”
Fonua-Blake is already on his way to joining some of the greatest props to wear the Cronulla colours, including Dane Sorensen, Cliff Watson, Jason Stevens and Fifita.
The Sharks head to the nation’s capital to tackle a Raiders side trying to bounce back from a 94-minute loss to the Broncos on Sunday. Tom Hazelton is on the extended bench after being ruled out of the Roosters match due to an infection. The Raiders have made no changes.
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