New Year’s Eve is still a few months away, but there will be fireworks galore on Saturday night when rival wingers Ronaldo Mulitalo and Mark Nawaqanitawase meet again for potentially the final time in the NRL.
The pair have only clashed four times but they’ve all been explosive affairs, with their round 16 battle one of the highlights of the year.
Mulitalo had an early win when he scored in the first half, but the Roosters star had the last laugh with two late tries to lead his side to victory.
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Mark Nawaqanitawase and Ronaldo Mulitalo will go head to head again after an epic battle a few months ago. Picture: Matt King/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
They will return to the scene of the crime at Allianz Stadium this weekend where the usually mild-mannered Nawaqanitawase threw a ball at Mulitalo the last time they played.
Mulitalo dropped a forearm in a tackle that night, chirped for 80 minutes and got beaten in the air a few times, but he graciously accepted defeat when he spoke in the sheds.
“He got the two points at the end of the day, so I’m going to eat my humble pie today. He gave me a good lesson today, but that’s the respect that we have,” he said on June 21.
“There are two wingers going at it. I can’t remember the last game that everyone watched two wingers have a crack at it, so I had to put some respect on the wingers and show that we can get into the rumble as well.
“This is what I do it for. I’m not scared of anything. I put my nuts on the line, I put my everything on the line to get out there and give you guys a show. He got it tonight, but I move on and we carry on with the season.
Nawaqanitawase got the better of his Sharks rival earlier in the year. Picture: Matt King/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“I don’t think anyone wants to watch Roosters and Sharkies go at it after that (when Nawaqanitawase leaves).”
Mulitalo will get the chance to go up against Nawaqanitawase one last time before the Roosters star returns to rugby at the end of the season, with the pair also meeting in an elimination final last year.
The Sharks got the win that night, and you can expect another fiery battle with everything on the line this weekend.
“It probably sucked for me after the game because obviously no one likes to be the loser, but everyone (else) loved it,” Mulitalo said after Saturday’s win over the Cowboys, referencing the earlier match against the Roosters this season.
“Every game’s important for me, I take it really personal and it’s probably one of the many that I’ve had throughout my career.”
Mulitalo was able to get Nawaqanitawase to react a couple of months ago, and he loves that side of the game if his opponent is happy to engage in the banter and theatre of it all.
“I think it brings the best out of me. I get excited if I know I’ve got someone that loves it,” he said, acknowledging he has to toe the line after he was sent to the sin bin for a high shot on Nawaqanitawase last year.
“But it can go two ways; it’s gone bad for me and it’s gone good for me. That’s just the fun way I play my footy, but finals, like I said, is a different beast. I’ve got to control some of that. I’ve got to keep it within the team and probably not let my ego get in the way of those battles. That’s an important thing.
“This time of the year is about being selfless and not worrying about my own agendas.
“When I cross the white line, all sanity goes out, but it’s something I’m focusing on, working hard on. You never want to let your teammates down, so I think there’s no time for my bulls**t.
“It’s whatever the team needs and I’ll happily contribute wherever I can.”
Mulitalo relishes the chance for confrontations. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Mulitalo never watched the great battles between wingers Wendell Sailor and Adam MacDougall back in the day, with the New Zealand international having to deal with Cowboys hooker Reed Mahoney, who randomly went after him on Saturday.
Sharks fans love him and rivals get fired up by his antics, but how does coach Craig Fitzgibbon feel?
“He understands my mentality around things. He just kind of coaches me or is telling me in subtle ways,” he said.
“He’s a man, I’m a man, I understand you can tell me the truth. If you say your ego’s in the way, your ego’s in the way. But it’s a battle he enjoyed.”