Sydney Roosters Coach Trent Robinson says he is excited to see Dylan Napa don the Red, White and Blue for the first time in five years this Saturday evening when the Roosters face the Dolphins for the second time in 2023.
Robinson recognises that Napa’s return is one of many things to celebrate this week, including Luke Keary’s 200th NRL Game and the team honouring Arthur Beetson with the Indigenous Round Jersey.
Robinson: 'He's Been So Important Inside These Walls'
But the Tricolours’ mentor says the team are focused on the task at hand and have plenty of motivation to get the job done while honouring the occasions tomorrow night.
“There’s always that memory of righting some wrongs but that’s low on the list of reasons to play tomorrow night,” Robinson said reflecting on the team’s Round 1 loss.
“We understand that and how we played in that first game.
“We’re back at home, we want to play really well, but it’s not about making up for that, it’s about playing for some milestones but honouring how we want to play and playing better and better each week.”
“The situation we're in, we need to nail a game tomorrow night and we need to nail it again the following week and again the following week, so ultimately, we play for the Club and our Club is in a situation where we need to honour those guys but everyone knows we need to play tomorrow night.”
Robinson says Napa is a welcomed inclusion to the line-up this week, with the veteran forward set to take to the field for the first time as a Rooster since 2018.
“It's been five years since he put on a Roosters jersey,” Robinson explained.
“He's obviously been at the Dogs and Catalans since then, but he's coming to the back end of his career and we left the door open for him this year. He's a premiership winner with us.
I saw a guy that came back with huge heart for the Club, you get guys that focus on the team and focus on themselves, he came back and he's been so important inside these walls for the year, with players, with the staff, with everyone, saying look I love this club.
- Trent Robinson On Dylan Napa's attitude
“He's shown that on the field and we're at that point where we need him this weekend so yeah it ended up being a really popular, but easy choice, because his thoughts are about what's best for the team and yes, I can't wait to get him back out there.”
Robinson’s history with Napa dates back to the early days of his coaching career, when he handed the Cook Islands International his NRL debut back in 2013 - he says this week the feelings are similar.
“It was like handing out a debut, that's what it felt like, it was also the effect that it had on other guys," he said.
“When I told the other guys, you could see their smiles and they know what it means to Naps, but they also know what it means to them to stand next to him.
“We know we've got a job to do, we're going to a game to play, but these are also the really good moments of rugby league seasons.”
Robinson affirms that Napa knows his role and what’s expected of him when he is injected into the game off the interchange bench on Saturday evening.
“He’s a front rower, we need him to do his job. He brings a physicality to the game, but he also brings a work ethic that that people don't know about.
They focus on the big hits, but they don't see the kick pressures and the scraps and the chase backs that Naps does week-in week-out, no matter what grade he's playing in … we need all that.
- Trent Robinson on Dylan Napa's work ethic
The three-time Premiership-winning coach opened up on the process behind Napa’s return to the Roosters, explaining that the forward’s candour is something he admires.
“He tentatively reached out through Jazza [Waerea-Hargreaves] and then Naps rang and came over [to] my place,” he said.
“We sat down and had some frank conversations about his life and where he was at and you know and the opportunity that might be there and what I expected from him.
“He's done that and he's done that every single day and more, he's given us so much more than we have given him at the moment, so I feel like he's felt like he repaid the years of growing up here and he's gone about paying that back this year.
“He's brutally honest, so he has done some things in his career which he's proud of and he has done some things he's not so proud of, but he's always been brutally honest.
“So to have that conversation and say look I want that type of Napa but I don't want the other type of Napa, that can't be here, and he looked at me and said ‘Yep, that's fine, I'm gonna do that.’”
Vice-Captain Luke Keary celebrates his 200 NRL Game milestone against the Dolphins, a feat which Robinson says he should be extremely proud of.
“For a little man in our game and probably from most points of view a late bloomer, as far as coming in, he wasn't seen as this child prodigy coming through as a half,” he explained.
The Best of Keary
“He bounced around a bit in Queensland Cup and came down here and then Madge [Michael Maguire] had a really big influence on his career early and set him up for discipline and a style of play.
“We feel like he's really matured since he came across at the end of 2016 and he's had an amazing career, I think 130 games for us now 200 games this weekend.
“As a little man in our game, he should be really proud.
“He's continuously been in good shape, he's quite durable physically, so yeah there's no reason why he can't keep playing on and keep getting better.”
Robinson also provided an update on Sam Walker, who will return in NSW Cup for the North Sydney Bears on Sunday afternoon.
“He trained really well the other night … he plays that that high energy game so [getting] those last bits of percent for his knee was important and he did that the other night,” he said.
“To get him out there on Sunday will be really important in his comeback, that's the plan for him to play really well and then come back in.
“It's like everyone, you've still got to perform but the goal there is to get him back in physically good enough shape so he can come and make a difference at the end of the year.”
