The leadership skills guiding Koroisau towards milestone
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Wests Tigers skipper Api Koroisau is embracing the challenge of leading the club out of a turbulent period as he prepares to play his 250th NRL game on Sunday afternoon.
It's been a difficult couple of weeks for the Tigers, who have slumped to six-straight defeats and must win their final five games to have any chance of ending a 15-year finals drought.
News Jarome Luai will depart the club at the end of the season to join the Eels, who the Tigers play at CommBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, was followed by Adam Doueihi's decision not to play in last week's clash with the Raiders after coach Benji Marshall asked him to switch positions.
Koroisau nails a 40/20
The Tigers suffered a 56-10 loss in Canberra and the halfback has since acknowledged he made a mistake and will wear the No.7 jumper on Sunday.
The situation has tested Koroisau's leadership skills but the hooker is confident he can lead the team back to on-field success.
"[Leadership] is the biggest growth area of myself," Koroisau said. "Understanding that you have to look after 30 other blokes, their emotions and what happens off the field.
"You have to understand that you're all human beings, you've all got things going on and trying to get up for each week.
"[The drama] has been dealt with pretty good behind closed doors. I've just tried to look after the boys as much as I can."
Match: Wests Tigers v Eels
Round 22 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
16th Position
away Team
Eels
15th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Koroisau's journey from upstart youngster to Tigers skipper has been a lengthy one.
The hooker made his NRL debut at South Sydney as a 21-year-old in 2014 and went on to start in the Rabbitohs drought-breaking grand final victory.
Match Highlights: Rabbitohs v Bulldogs
From there he had stints at Penrith and Manly before returning to the Panthers to play a key role in their 2021 and 2022 premierships.
Koroisau joined the Tigers in 2023 with the goal of helping rebuild the club's culture after a lean few years.
While success has taken slightly longer than Koroisau had hoped, the hooker is confident the team has turned a corner.
"I wouldn't change anything," Koroisau said. "Even with everything that's gone down, I love this place and I love the boys that are here and will do anything I can to help them.
"A growth area for myself is understanding I've been through some hard times here and understanding I can still help people, regardless of how we're tracking.
"They're trying to play good footy, that's what everyone wants at the end of the day and the growth will be there."
In a sign of the respect held for Koroisau at the Tigers, the playing group will form a guard of honour as the Fijian international walks on to the field for Sunday's clash with the Eels.
The two sides played out a golden point thriller on Easter Monday but it's been a tough few months since for both teams.
The Tigers sat third after eight rounds, while Parramatta have shown plenty of promise but struggled to convert that into wins.
Wests Tigers v Eels: Round 22
Given all the noise surrounding Luai's move to the Eels and Doueihi's return, Koroisau knows the only way to silence the critics is to secure a victory over their Western Sydney rivals.
"There's been so much talk and so much chaos, it's about going out there this weekend and putting on a performance," Koroisau said. "That's the biggest factor in all of this.
"Rugby league's built on [winning]. If we go out there and have a big performance, I'm sure it'll all quiet down."
Don't miss a Sunday afternoon blockbuster between two Western Sydney rivals. Tickets are selling fast, click here to secure your seats before they sell out.
