Roger Tuivasa-Sheck: The Otara Kid Who Became A Warrior

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck joins Marc Ellis and Ric Salizzo on Herbie for Sportscafe Legends. He's played for the Roosters, the Warriors, the Kiwis, Toa Samoa, the Blues and the All Blacks. This is his last NRL season before a two-year deal at Wakefield Trinity - and with a knee reconstruction behind him, he's watching the Warriors' run from the sideline rather than the field. Roger talks about growing up in Otara, being coached as a kid by Eric Rush, ringing Rushy to tell him he was leaving rugby for league, and why he picked 12 when he came back to union. Timestamps: Chapters 00:00:00 Cold open 00:00:43 Welcome to Herbie 00:02:11 League fitness vs rugby fitness 00:02:53 Why he chose 12 00:04:31 Learning the game at first receiver 00:05:29 Eric Rush the junior coach 00:07:58 The phone call to Rushy 00:08:44 Why league suited him 00:09:53 Community and 40 memberships 00:10:59 The pathway out of school 00:12:05 A premiership in his second year 00:12:40 When he knew he had a gift 00:14:15 Getting knocked back 00:15:06 Blazers, kit and choosing union 00:17:32 Coming home to the Warriors 00:18:11 Saying no to mum and dad 00:21:39 Heroes: Rushy, Carlos, Benji 00:22:11 Eric Rush and the water slide 00:23:37 Watching this Warriors season injured 00:24:45 Two ACLs and the next surgery 00:25:36 All Black 1204 00:27:11 Wakefield, and letting go of the plan 00:30:41 His brother, LeBron and a PlayStation launch 00:34:15 The Herbie project 00:34:52 Otara was a village 00:36:42 What the travel cost him 00:39:15 What's changed at the Warriors 00:41:23 What it takes to win a premiership