You have skipped the navigation, tab for page content
Manu Vatuvei and Jonathan Wright are the Warriors version of the odd-couple, broth bring different skills to the team.

On either side of the field for the Warriors sits rugby league's equivalent of chalk and cheese. 

The left wing occupied by the beastly Manu Vatuvei, 112kgs of try-scoring, metre-eating, tackle-breaking machine with 28 Tests for his country under his belt.

On the right is the lanky Jonathan Wright, 98kgs, safe as houses and without a single representative honour to date in his seven-year career.

The only non-international in a Warriors' back five renowned for its raw power and athleticism, it's fair to say Wright stands out.

But the 28-year-old welcomes the change to his career, and he couldn’t be happier in New Zealand. 

"It's been pretty good for me having these different styles of players around me, I have picked up a few things that I can improve on my game, especially in my running and making metres," Wright said.

"What I have worked on a lot is making sure my first steps are fast and getting me to the advantage line, working with Manu and watching him has sort of helped me making sure I am doing my runs and carries well.

"Manu is an experienced and professional athlete and he always gets our sets on the front foot. 

"His finishing ability is second to none and it's good having someone in the team who I can get some tips off and model some of my game too.

"There's a lot of strong powerful players in our backs, but what I can bring is something a bit different and do things off the ball people probably don't notice."

Set to play his 100th Telstra Premiership game this Saturday against Parramatta - the club he debuted for in 2009 - Wright has enjoyed some of the best form of his career since joining the Warriors in December last year.

Averaging 12 carries and 112 metres per game in 2015, Wright has scored a try in each of his last three games and looks to have become a permanent fixture on the right edge for the New Zealand side.

More than any other team in the competition the Warriors lean on their outside backs to gain yardage early in sets, something Wright has had to adjust to in a hurry.

"A lot of clubs are different in the way they play and the way they start their sets off, but it's a really good thing that the Warriors rely on their outside backs to get them out of their end," he said.

"It's good, it gets you more time on the ball and more involvement."

While highly rated by his teammates, Wright has copped his fair share of criticism from sections of the club's fan base for his apparent lack of impact from the wing.

But standoff Chad Townsend - who played alongside Wright at the Sharks in 2013 - said that's just a case of unfair comparisons to powerhouse players like Vatuvei and Konrad Hurrell.

"He is a lot different to the other players we have here, he is tall and lanky and most of the other boys are little nuggets over here," Townsend said.

"Whether it's the fans' expectations of Manu and what a great player he is I don't know, but Jono doesn’t let it affect him and I will back him any day.

"Jono is nothing like Manu and Konrad, he is a different player and adds different aspects to our team.

"Since he has come in I think he has added some real value to our team, his metres carrying the football have been impressive and I think he has got better each game he has played."

Acknowledgement of Country

National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.

Premier Partner

Media Partners

Major Partners

View All Partners