Haumole sticks it in 'neutral' and powers towards a Blues debut

Tongan powerhouse Haumole OIakau’atu always looks to be going a million miles an hour on Manly’s right edge but in reality the 25-year-old is all about keeping it in ‘neutral’.

On the back of a roaring start to 2024 that has seen him average 142 metres per game and rack up 15 tackle breaks, Olakau’atu’s name has again been thrust into Origin calculations, just as it was 12 months ago before a Sea Eagles slump cost him.

Manly won just two of eight between Round 9 and 17, allowing Raider Hudson Young and Rabbitoh Keaon Koloamatangi to get the jump on him and make their Blues debuts.

A year on and a relaxed Olakau’atu is ready for whatever comes in late May when new Blues coach Michael Maguire names his team for the series opener – even if the likes of Immortal Andrew Johns have already declared him a certainty.

“I’ll try and block out any noise about Origin, maybe I better get off socials for a bit,” Olakau’atu said on Wednesday.

“Last year was pretty tough, I couldn’t control my emotions, but this year I am doing my best to train my mental skills and stay neutral at all times.

“Off the field I am pretty chill, just like to do my own thing, but on the field there’s lots of mixed emotions on the field so try to get to neutral as fast as possible…. Not too high, not too low.

“I have been working with our mental skills coach Andrew May on just trying to get neutral with any kind of situation in a game.

“The main thing for me is being neutral and if they do talk about it [Origin] then I can’t control that.”

What Olakau’atu can control is his contribution to a Manly side that started the season with impressive wins over the Rabbitohs and Roosters before letting a 14-0 lead slip against the Eels in Round 3.

Working in tandem with Daly Cherry-Evans inside him and Reuben Garrick on his outside, Olakau’atu has been a constant threat in attack while also coming up with 26 tackles per game.

The addition of a roaming Luke Brooks in the No.6 jersey has added another dimension to Manly’s attack which looked lethal in the opening 20 minutes against the Eels and has racked up 81 points in the first three games.

“When Brooksy is playing freely, always running the ball and coming back to the right side, that’s the style I like to play, pushing off him,” Olakau’atu said.

“I’m still improving and the new halves have helped.

“It has always has been about consistency for me and that’s a big thing I have been trying to work on

“Even though I was consistent last year I want to be even more consistent this year and I’m closer to being the complete player."

The Sea Eagles will look to rebound on Saturday against a Dragons team sure to be smarting after back-to-back losses took the gloss off a strong first-up win over the Titans.

“The Dragons are coming off two losses in a row and they are going to be coming at us fast and trying to ambush us on their home ground, so we need to start fast as well,” Olakau’atu said.

“It’s going to be physical so focus for us to try and win physical battle against them.

“The biggest lesson out of the Eels loss was that not every call is going to come our way so be neutral and get to your next job is something I have learned.”