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IF Paul Gallen and James Graham are still wondering how they were floored by a rookie who was fixing beer kegs not so long ago, we've finally got an answer.
“I just hate getting bumped off, so you’ve just got to go in as hard as you can,” said Dylan Napa, the NRL’s newest giant killer.
“It’s something that I’ve always prided myself on; strong defence.”
Have you seen Napa hit? Check out the video above...
The 20-year-old Roosters forward has left the biggest impression of any tyro to debut this season.
In his first interview since abusing the NRL with a mammoth shot on Bulldogs tough guy Graham, Napa credited his father Stan for a throwback style that’s fast earning him cult status.
Napa backed up his debut bellringer with an even sweeter hit on Gallen, sparking a social media war between the NSW Origin skipper and former Roosters coach Brian Smith.
“The fans obviously liked it,” Napa recalled.
“It’s just always been part of my game, but at the same time it’s not something I really fall back on.
“People did ask, ‘How was that?’ but if the other team gets a repeat set and scores, it doesn’t really mean anything.”
Scouted from New Zealand in 1980, Stan Napa played with Norths Devils in Brisbane and was sent-off three times in his first QRL season.
“My old man was a pretty good footballer - or so he said,” Napa laughed.
“He always said he was tougher than me, so that gives me something to aim for.
“I was pretty gutted when they banned the shoulder charge.”
Napa moved from Brisbane in 2010 and quickly settled into the Bondi lifestyle as he alternated between training and cellar room shifts at the Beach Road Hotel.
“I was just fixing kegs and that,” he said.
“It was good, I met a lot of people ... some Swedish ... But I didn’t get any numbers.”
The redhead would probably have more luck nowadays, after earning the nickname ‘The Bell-ranga’ among impressed Roosters fans.
Second tier salary cap restrictions prevented him from debut until the Roosters released Lama Tasi in round 15, and even then Napa wasn’t confident about breaking into one of the strongest packs in the club’s history.
“This is a hard team to crack,” he said. “In the preseason I wasn’t even thinking about playing NRL, just doing my thing at (NSW Cup feeder side) Newtown.
“But once I got that opportunity against Canterbury I had to take it because I might not have gotten another one.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226717217861
Can't wait to see him, Kane and Tau all have a season of first grade together.
They're going to represent Australia one day.
“I just hate getting bumped off, so you’ve just got to go in as hard as you can,” said Dylan Napa, the NRL’s newest giant killer.
“It’s something that I’ve always prided myself on; strong defence.”
Have you seen Napa hit? Check out the video above...
The 20-year-old Roosters forward has left the biggest impression of any tyro to debut this season.
In his first interview since abusing the NRL with a mammoth shot on Bulldogs tough guy Graham, Napa credited his father Stan for a throwback style that’s fast earning him cult status.
Napa backed up his debut bellringer with an even sweeter hit on Gallen, sparking a social media war between the NSW Origin skipper and former Roosters coach Brian Smith.
“The fans obviously liked it,” Napa recalled.
“It’s just always been part of my game, but at the same time it’s not something I really fall back on.
“People did ask, ‘How was that?’ but if the other team gets a repeat set and scores, it doesn’t really mean anything.”
Scouted from New Zealand in 1980, Stan Napa played with Norths Devils in Brisbane and was sent-off three times in his first QRL season.
“My old man was a pretty good footballer - or so he said,” Napa laughed.
“He always said he was tougher than me, so that gives me something to aim for.
“I was pretty gutted when they banned the shoulder charge.”
Napa moved from Brisbane in 2010 and quickly settled into the Bondi lifestyle as he alternated between training and cellar room shifts at the Beach Road Hotel.
“I was just fixing kegs and that,” he said.
“It was good, I met a lot of people ... some Swedish ... But I didn’t get any numbers.”
The redhead would probably have more luck nowadays, after earning the nickname ‘The Bell-ranga’ among impressed Roosters fans.
Second tier salary cap restrictions prevented him from debut until the Roosters released Lama Tasi in round 15, and even then Napa wasn’t confident about breaking into one of the strongest packs in the club’s history.
“This is a hard team to crack,” he said. “In the preseason I wasn’t even thinking about playing NRL, just doing my thing at (NSW Cup feeder side) Newtown.
“But once I got that opportunity against Canterbury I had to take it because I might not have gotten another one.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226717217861
Can't wait to see him, Kane and Tau all have a season of first grade together.
They're going to represent Australia one day.
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