BY DAN

A surprise of sorts found its way into the Raiders team list this week, with Simi Sasagi the backrow replacement for Zac Hosking’s unfortunate absence due to the concussion protocol.

I say surprise of sorts because we actually spent the best part of 400 words making a pitch for it here. In short he’s proven himself a bit of a revelation. Sasagi came from Newcastle in the off-season as an outside back utility the club hoped to turn into a backrower. It was recognition of the desperation the club was having with finding a replacement for Elliott Whitehead. They simply couldn’t find one, so they decided to make one.

Sasagi hasn’t disappointed. He’s looked comfortable in the position on both sides of the ball, in NSW Cup and in the pre-season trials. In the trials he proved willing and able to be a physical presence in defence, and throughout the Cup season he’s combined the hard-line running one needs from a backrower with the agility and clip of pace one would expect of a former outside back. He’s cracked 140m on the ground in each of his last two games. He scored a brutal try on the weekend tearing through a half-opened hole, knocking over defenders and beating the chase to the line (nine tackle busts for the game FYI). At just 22 there’s plenty to like now but also into the future. It’s that kind of year, and for the problem it solves immediately and the option and opportunity it could catalyse into the future, this is a good outcome.

He’ll be coming off the bench with Ata Mariota named the starter. While it’s possibly a Sticky Smokescreen (hiding a debutant, a classic of the genre) it’s likely that it’s as much a doubling down of the approach to give one edge player twenty minutes there before they transition to the middle rotation. Given Sasagi’s lack of experience Mariota may be in the spot longer than Smell ‘front-spelled’ Zac Hosking. Either way it’s an intriguing pattern. Evidently the club thinks 80 on an edge is a tough gig, and also enjoys the flexibility that comes from having someone on the bench that will play backrow, but can cover backs or lock in a pinch. Mariota isn’t a natural backrower but his physicality might be necessary in the early goings to protect Sasagi from being the target of a Shaun Lane based game-plan.

As we noted previously it’s not without challenges. Sasagi will likely shift sides and have to deal with the very large backrowers that the Eels will deploy. There’s also likely frustration of players that might have hoped to get a shot at the top line only to miss out yet again (let’s call them Trey M…no that’s too obvious…T Mooney). But if you’d asked us in December 2023 how we’d be feeling if two of the Milk’s backrowers were out injured we’d simply have yelped, cried and then hid. That this feels not just a viable option but also one that might have some upside is a good, if unusual feeling. I almost feel pretty.

Beyond this weekend Sasagi’s selection is vindication of the front office’s unusual approach to filling a need for backrow depth. I’ve obviously never been a coach or a scout but I imagine projecting a player to succeed at a position he doesn’t play is a challenge. It’s not just seeing if they have the physical capabilities but trusting the ability of the coaching staff to turn an idea into a reality. Kudos to Joel Carbone and the coaching staff that made it happen.

It does raise questions as to how bad Elliott Whitehead’s calf is. As we noted, calves aren’t things that spring back to health quickly in aged players, and the re-injury likelihood is higher than your mum and me last weekend (good date, she’s lots of fun, we saw Dune 2 and laughed our asses off). I’m hardly saying he’s done for the season or anything but perhaps the peanut gallery’s demand for change might come in a more ‘natural’ way. I hope not. I hope he finds his way back to his best on the footy field and off it.

But for now the focus is on Sasagi. It might be a bit of a surprise but it’s a nice one. We’re excited to see what he can offer.

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