Lisiua Steamrolls Obstacles To Country Cap
Newcastle Herald
Saturday June 9, 2001
RUGGED University prop Marty Lisiua will complete an amazing comeback when he anchors the NSW Country scrum against the Australian under-21s at the Sydney Football Stadium tonight.
Lisiua's season appeared over when he broke his right arm in two places and required a metal plate during Newcastle's Steel City Challenge loss to Illawarra in the pre-season.
He returned ahead of schedule and led University to a ground-breaking 35-13 victory over Nelson Bay in round six.
His season was again interrupted, this time by suspension, after he was sent off in the Students' 13-12 round-seven triumph over Wanderers.
He was found guilty of striking and misconduct and outed for five weeks.
The suspension would have ruled him out of tonight's game, but he appealed against the severity and it was reduced to two weeks, which he served in rounds eight and nine.
Lisiua is one of seven Novocastrians playing in tonight's curtain-raiser to the Wallabies versus New Zealand Maori clash at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Also in the Country squad are Darren Dimmock (Maitland), Matt Brown, Ryan Macdougall, Brent Dale, Nathan Croft (Wanderers) and Warwick Crosby (University).
The Country squad to contest the Australian Shield, which starts against Darwin next Saturday, will be finalised after tonight's clash.
Country are desperate to strengthen a scrum which has lost its starting front-row from last season.
The scrum struggled in Country's 30-0 loss to Waikato on May 23, and coach Mick Bird is after an improved effort tonight.
`The front row is a real concern,' Bird admitted.
`We lost four front-rowers from last season and the quality of props at Country week was not up to the usual standard.
`The better scrummagers had poor aerobic fitness and the more mobile guys struggled at the set pieces.'
© 2001 Newcastle Herald