The self-belief driving Taniela Paseka has seen the damaging prop make giant inroads for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in season 2023.
Now in his sixth season with the Sea Eagles, Paseka – who stands at 197cm and weighs 124kg - has become a real enforcer of the Manly pack with his bullocking runs.
After 12 rounds of the 2023 Telstra Premiership, Paseka sits fifth on the NRL post-contact metres list with 656.
Just two forwards sit ahead of him in Origin players Payne Haas (784m) and Pat Carrigan (695m). The closest Sea Eagles player to Paseka is second-rower Haumole Olakauátu with 572 metres.
From his 11 games this season, Paseka is averaging 149 run metres, has made 23 tackle breaks, and is averaging 13.8 hit ups. He also has recorded 13 offloads and has a great tackle efficiency rate of 92 per cent.
His best year to date came in 2021 when Paseka recorded 1,107 post contact metres, 28 tackle breaks, 29 offloads, and average 107 run metres from 24 matches.
“The biggest thing is the confidence. I know I can do a lot more for the team with my size, ‘’ said 25-year-old Paseka.
“When I do big carries, I hope the boys get geed up about that, and they do the same. I know I do bring that and the team is feeding off it.
“It’s getting contagious. I just need to find it more often.”
Manly Coach Anthony Seibold has already shown his great confidence in Paseka by starting him in every game this season. Paseka has now played 90 games for the Sea Eagles.
“Taniela is playing really good minutes for us. He got through a half of footy (against Canberra) on the weekend for the first time in his career,’’ Seibold said.
“He has made some physical improvements and I think that has been transferred into his game.
“Taniela has had a really positive start but we need him to continue to do it.”
Hooker Lachlan Croker said he has been more than impressed with the superb form shown by Paseka this year. Paseka played his most minutes of the season (61) in the win over Canberra last Sunday.
“I’ve voted for Taniela to be our players’ player (after each game) more times this season than I haven’t,’’ Croker said.
“Taniela is a guy that I love playing alongside. He is willing to learn and to ask questions and to talk to me and other guys around him about what they want out of him.
“If Taniela thinks he has got something that he can add, then he will happily do that now.
“Obviously, he is a monster of a bloke. Just standing behind him off kick-offs and watching him take carries, I’m just glad that I am not standing in front of him.
“Taniela is one of those special type of athletes that have no body fat on them. He looks a million bucks.
“Last year, he finally turned a corner. It’s been really good to see him do it and he is only going to get better.”
