By LIZ MOORE

On the back of Souths’ first win of the regular season, back Mikey Siaki and his Souths teammates are hoping to maintain momentum when they take on Wests this weekend.

It’s been a year of rebuilding at Souths and Siaki has grabbed the Premier grade opportunity by the horns, making the outside centre position his own.

“Most of our starting team from 2019 left so it opened the opportunity to get a crack for anyone who wants to take it. I guess Todd gave me the opportunity and I’ve taken it,” he said of coach Todd Dammers.

Dammers described Siaki as his team’s “unsung hero who has been through all the ups and downs”.  

Siaki started at Souths as a Colt in 2013 before injuring his neck and returning to Colts in late 2014. He took a year off rugby in 2015 before returning to third grade in 2016. 

It has been a slow rise since to Premier grade for Siaki who has just this year secured a run-on place in the Premier side.

“I wasn’t sure at the start of the year how I was going to go,” the humble 25-year-old said. 

“I hadn’t played under Todd at all so I didn’t know what he expected as a centre. And I was generally at 12 before I moved to outside, but one of the boys got injured and he moved me to outside. 

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to go but I just played it and he was pretty happy and let me do my thing at outside centre.

“It’s not much of a change but just little, key things are a bit different.”

As for his team’s first win of the regular season, 29-26 against Norths on the weekend, Siaki is taking it in his fast stride.

“It’s positive. We’ve showed that we can be a good team and on the weekend, it was more just putting it together. 

“Whereas every game we’ve played this year, I think we’ve showed that we can run with the top teams, but putting a full 80-minute performance together was probably the struggle and I guess we did that on the weekend.”

As to whether they can carry on the momentum against Wests this weekend, Siaki is positive.

“I feel good abut it,” Siaki said of the game against Wests. “I think they have a dominant forward pack so it’ll be a challenge for our boys. I think it’ll be a good game.”

Siaki said he and his side have learnt a lot throughout the season. 

“A lot of boys have learnt what it’s like to play Premier grade. They’ve learnt what it takes. 

“What I’ve learnt this year to take into next year is to be more of a leader. For most of my Souths years I’ve played under boys that were in and out of the Reds, and have been Prem grade players for a long time so I didn’t really need to be a leader. I’d just do my job and that’s it. That was the main thing. 

“Now with the younger boys coming in I feel like what I’ve learnt from this year and to take into next year is to be a leader for them, and I guess guide them to be better, at training and just everything.”