Daily Telegraph
NRL Finals 2021: Manly reveal video highlights package persuaded club to sign Taniela Paseka
WATCH: Manly reveal the video highlights package which persuaded them to sign Taniela Paseka - the 120kg and 197 cm colossus set to wreak havoc on Friday night.
It took just three minutes and 50 seconds for Manly recruitment manager Scott Fulton to realise he had to sign giant prop Taniela Paseka.
Fulton has revealed the YouTube footage that was the key to his club securing the 120kg Paseka from Wests Tigers after the 2016 season.
Searching for some size and mobility, Fulton contacted Paseka’s manager Craig Baker and asked if he had any forwards that fit the description.
Paseka is quite a handful for opposition defences.
Baker had just the man and sent Fulton a highlights video of a teenager destroying opponents – in attack and defence - in the NRL under 20s competition and for NSW under 20s.
Fulton watched the video – which ran for 230 seconds – and rang Baker immediately.
“We’ll take him,” Fulton told Baker.
Paseka, 23, ended up leaving Wests Tigers and will be a key man in Manly’s preliminary final against Souths on Friday night.
WATCH PASEKA’S VIDEO REEL BELOW
“I only saw Taniela play maybe once before I rang Craig. I asked him about some players and then brought up Taniela. He sent through the highlights of Taniela. I watched it and straight away rang Craig back and said: ‘We’ll take him’,” Fulton said.
“You could see his sheer size on that video, power, pace, defence, everything really. And you could see he was going to get better and better as he matured.
“He was 19 when we signed him and he then played under 20s for us before going into first grade the following year. I think we signed him on a junior development contract.
“He has had a few injuries but all-in-all, he is a potential representative player, without a doubt.
Taniela Paseka is seen as a representative player in the making.
“With Sean Keppie, Josh Aloaia, Marty (Taupau), along with Dylan Walker, it’s a pretty good rotation Des (Hasler) has at his disposal.
“Taniela is only 23. He’s been around a while but is still young. Good judges generally don’t think front-rowers get going until their mid to late 20s so there’s a lot of upside to him.”
Baker backed up Fulton’s recollection of the signing coup.
“Scott rang me back (after watching the video) and said: ‘We want him’,” Baker said. “We had got Taniela a release and were shopping him around when the conversation happened with Scott.
“Taniela has always been the biggest player on the field. I don’t think there’s been a time when he hasn’t been. That’s obviously been his weapon.
“Over the last couple years, Des has put a different confidence into him and he’s now starting to play some of his best footy.
Paseka built a big reputation at Wests Tigers.
The big man is tough to keep out close to the line.
“Des is also encouraging him to offload. There were a few different things he needed to look at as he gets to the defensive line, rather than just put the ball under his arm and run straight.
“Obviously opposition sides were putting a massive amount of numbers on him to bring him down easily. But now he is starting to vary his game. He has these things in his arsenal and he’s starting to use them.
“You can’t throw multiple bodies at someone if there’s a chance they’re going to offload. You commit too many defenders and then there’s issues. It’s all starting to click for Taniela.”
Like all Hasler-coached sides, Manly players are cautious and refuse to look any further than their next game.
But daring to dream for a second, Paseka said: “Imagine if we won it? It would be cool to watch.”
