Penrith centre Tyrone Peachey concedes Canberra counterpart Joey Leilua is arguably the hardest player to tackle in the NRL right now.
The makeshift three-quarter will face off against the in-form Leilua when the Raiders host the Panthers in Saturday’s mouth-watering semi-final at GIO Stadium.
And the 25-year-old admits he’ll have his hands full taming the Canberra bull.
“That left edge is going to be a tough ask, trying to defend BJ. I’m just going to try and do my best job because he’s been running rampage over everyone,” Peachey told AAP.
“(Leilua and winger Jordan Rapana) have been killing it all year.”
Asked if Leilua was the most difficult player to take down in the NRL, Peachey said: “Probably, but I haven’t played him while I’ve been in the centres yet.”
Leilua and Rapana have arguably been the league’s hottest backline duo this year, racking up a combined 32 tries for the league’s most potent attacking team.
Both players are considered strong contenders to take out the Dally M centre and wing awards at the prestigious end-of-season gala night in grand final week.
However, Penrith pair Josh Mansour and Peachey could also lay claim to similar honours for contributions to their side’s six-game winning streak that has thrust them into title contention.
They boast one more line break than their Canberra counterparts, and also almost match them for tries.
However, Rapana and Leilua have combined for almost 70 more tackle busts.
Mansour was confident he and Peachey, who only switched to the centres in round 11 following a season-ending injury to Peta Hiku, could hold their own against their more heralded opponents.
The pair were instrumental in the Panthers’ elimination final win over Canterbury on Sunday, scoring one try each, running a combined 364 metres and busting 12 tackles.
“Leilua and Rapana have been having a great season together on that edge. It’s going to be a big challenge. But me and Peach, we’ll step up for next week and hopefully do a good job on them,” Mansour said.
Jordan Rapana and Joey Leilua
* 32 tries
* 38 line breaks
* 251 tackle busts
Josh Mansour and Tyrone Peachey
* 28 tries
* 39 line breaks
* 188 tackle busts
Albo
Guest
Should be a fascinating battle Leilua & Rapana v Peachey & Mansour . Both pairs are on fire for their teams and now face each other head to head. Whilst Leilua & Rapana are devastating attackers, they have been found out at times in defence , particularly when a smart fullback chimes in on their side ( eg as Tom Trbojevic showed a few weeks back). Matt Moylan too could make life really interesting for the Canberra duo here. Help from the inside of these pairs could also be vital with Yeo & Cleary on the left for the Panthers and Whitehead & Williams for the Raiders on their right. I think the Panthers might actually have the edge in this right side battle. As a Panther supporter, I am more worried about the other side of the field. The Panthers right hand side of Cartwright , Fisher-Harris, Blake & DWZ can be dangerous in attack , but they have been found out more than a few times in defence , particularly around Cartwright when defending inside Blake. I expect the Raiders left side of Sezer, Papali , Croker & Lee with Wighton chiming inside to be more of a danger for the Panthers than the Canberra more hyped about right side.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Leilua and Rapana edge definitely the most dangerous combo in the NRL this season. I don't know what happened over the weekend but they hardly seemed to be in the game. When they met the Storm definitely Leilua was the difference in that game and made a mockery of Cheyse Blair. Not looking forward to that rematch if they come up against each other again in the prelims. Cheyse was dropped after that game and is looking much better defensively since probably because he has Ryan Morgan breathing down his neck for a spot. I don't know though if Ryan will do much better against a rampant Leilua.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
He's also hard to run along side with as Ben Barba will tell you
turbodewd
Roar Guru
Leilua will surely be first picked for NSW next year. He creates which is something NSW have struggled with.
Jimmmy
Guest
They were all wonderful footy players Armchair.
Armchair expert
Guest
If anybody needs to be remembered how good Meninga was (and Stuart) Google Australia vs Great Britain 1990. The break by Stuart in the dying stages and what Mal did to back up was fantastic footy. I think that was the same series where Cliffy Lyons scored a screamer, after just about the whole team touched the ball. Good times.....
Jimmmy
Guest
I have only ever seen one player in RL who was almost 'untackleable' and that was the Raiders great one Mal Maninga. Leileua is not in his class yet but I wouldn't want to be the one to try and bring him down. The only flaw in Big Mals game was he never realised quite how good he was. I often saw him try to pass the ball on after making a break when really all he needed to do was steamroll whoever was in front of him. He did this a few times in Origin games and I blame him for some of my hair loss.