Huddersfield Giants coach Paul Anderson is delighted Ukuma Ta’ai has been named in Tonga’s World Cup squad.
But part of him wants to see his powerful back-row forward miss out on final selection!
After missing all of last pre-season as a result of work-permit problems, Ta’ai spent much of the 2013 campaign trying to match the fitness of his teammates.
By the end of Huddersfield’s League Leaders’ Shield-winning campaign, the 26-year-old was firing on all cylinders – hence his selection in Tonga’s 24-man World Cup squad.
But Anderson feels it’s vital Ta’ai doesn’t miss a second pre-season and he knows if Ta’ai and Tonga have a good World Cup, then the former New Zealand Warriors star could miss another important chunk of pre-season work.
“Ukuma’s selection is a difficult one,” admitted Anderson.
“One part of me wants him to do well in the World Cup, but another part of me hopes he doesn’t get picked!
“I know that might sound a bit selfish, but I know how important pre-season is, particularly for Ukuma.
“The simple fact is that he can’t afford to miss two pre-seasons. He obviously missed last year’s through no fault of his own, while a successful World Cup with Tonga means his pre-season this time around will be delayed because he’ll obviously need a bit of time off after the tournament.
“Pre-season is massive in terms of building up core fitness, and that’s what Ukuma needs. If he misses a fair amount of training he might struggle to get in the team, because of who we’ve brought in.”
