The Bulldogs’ elimination final with Manly sets up a mouth-watering battle between two of the game’s most exciting and brutal forwards that could decide the contest.
Bulldogs second-rowers Viliame Kikau and Manly counterpart Haumole Olakau’atu are arguably among the best forwards in the game on their day and finals footy promises to bring out the best in them in front of 50,000 fans at Accor Stadium on Sunday.
Kikau has run for 1,992 metres to go with nine linebreaks, 53 tackle busts, 41 offloads and four tries, while Olakau’atu has ran for 2,241 metres to go with 14 linebreaks, 76 tackle busts, 14 offloads and six tries.
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James Hooper believes the stage is set for fireworks between the pair as they line-up opposite each other for the crunch do or die final.
“They locked horns a couple of weeks ago Haumole Olakau’atu and Viliame Kikau, they are two of the most destructive, hard-running and dangerous back-rowers in the competition,” Hooper said on NRL 360.
“Haumole got the points a couple of weeks ago, so Big Billy, he’ll be a little bit scarred, but Gordie, I know you’re a huge fan of Kikau, and especially at this time of the year, I feel like he can find a big performance.”
Gorden Tallis is a big fan of how both players play the game but warned both Manly and the Bulldogs not to overburden them with too great a workload.
“They both got so much X-factor,” Tallis said.
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“If I’m them, I’d put the cue in a rack with the workload because I think that they can be explosive. I think they can break the game open.
“I think they go on there with the mindset to do what the team needs me to do, but they’ve got to be there for the moment, and they are both so damaging.
“Olakau’atu is so big on an edge and I think they use him a little bit too much. And Kikau, well he’s got everything. They are both unbelievable.”
Dean Ritchie believes Olakau’atu was the difference in Manly’s 34-22 win over the Bulldogs in Round 26.
“He is a brute Haumole, he is a weapon,” Ritchie said.
“He just destroyed Canterbury two weeks ago.”
Braith Anasta is convinced Olakau’atu can reach elite status amongst the game’s forwards if he reaches his potential, but warned inconsistency has let him down at times.
“He can be one of the best forwards in the game, Olakau’atu,” Anasta said.
“He was great against the Bulldogs. The potential he’s got, and when he’s at his best, which was the Bulldogs game, he was phenomenal. He wasn’t so good last week.”
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The return of Matt Burton and Tom Trbojevic will be crucial for both sides, but given the atmosphere expected in a massive pro Bulldogs crowd, the battle of the two second-rowers could set the tone for both sides.
One thing is certain there is bound to be fireworks in the opening stages and Kikau and Olakau’atu will be front and centre in the thick of it.
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