'They were after me that night': One-time Eels target DWZ back for more

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was belted by Maika Sivo in the first half, blindsided and shoulder charged by Nathan Brown in the second.

And all after the Eels had made the Bulldogs fullback their own No.1 recruitment target just two months earlier.

Watene-Zelezniak has only experienced the famous Canterbury-Parramatta rivalry for 80 minutes, and but his arrival at Belmore last June added yet another layer to the Western Sydney stoush.

The Eels were the first club touted as Watene-Zelezniak's potential new home when an exit from his junior Penrith club loomed after last year's Magic Round.

While Wests Tigers and North Queensland also held talks with the Kiwi star, the blue and golds were front-runners to secure Watene-Zelezniak when he met with coach Brad Arthur at the club's old facilities in northern Parramatta.

Not until Canterbury swooped late and lured him before June 30 did the 24-year-old land on the opposite side of one of rugby league's favourite rivalries.

His first game against the Eels afterwards saw him wear a brutal hit from Sivo at Bankwest Stadium, followed by a shoulder charge from Brown that earned the Parramatta lock a two-week suspension and an expletive-laden tirade from Josh Jackson.

Watene-Zelezniak will be a key figure when the two proud clubs clash once more to kick off the 2020 season on Thursday.

"There's a little bump on my shoulder I won't forget every time I look in the mirror,'' Watene-Zelezniak grinned when reminded of Brown's shot and his resulting AC joint injury.

"They were after me that night. That's football, you get hurt but I've had a lot worse in my career."

Watene-Zelezniak politely declined to revisit the contract talks with Parramatta nine months ago when quizzed this week.

But since arriving at Canterbury, and inking a further extension until the end of 2022, he has a whole new appreciation of the animosity kicked off during the Eels-Bulldogs grand finals of the '80s.

"I just realised that the rivalry between the Bulldogs and Parra is even stronger," he said.

"I came from Penrith and it was bred in us as kids that it was the Battle of the West.

"I've learnt so much coming to the Bulldogs about the history of the club and the rivalries. I didn't realise how much people didn't like us.

"As a Panthers fan you always knew that when you were playing the Doggies their fans were going to give it to you.

"Being on the other side you realise how loyal they are to you and how much it means to them as a club. It's good to be on that end of it."

Watene-Zelezniak is expecting another physical clash in round one, but will already go into the game with a bump and bruise from the All Stars clash last month.

While the Maori side he proudly captained enjoyed an entertaining win, Watene-Zelezniak's night ended in a Gold Coast hospital amid fears he may have suffered a back fracture.

His injury proved to be "a big hematoma" that still resembles a "camel hump", but only after scans cleared him of potentially serious injury.

"They scared me at half-time, they told me it could have been a fracture in my back," Watene-Zelezniak said.

"I've done (the manoeuvre) many times where you dive in the corner and you land on your back.

"When I had the lump on my back, I was going to go back on. I showed the doc and I said 'what's on my back?'

"When he said it could've been a back fracture I took a step back.

"The scariest part was when I went to hospital and they do this pricking thing down your legs with cotton and a feather or something like that.

"That was the scariest bit because you're hoping you feel everything. It was all sweet but for me I was worried because the doc was serious."