Big Tupou has that Folau feel

Daniel Tupou ... the next Israel Folau? Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

Roosters recruitment boss Peter O'Sullivan felt a touch of deja vu when he first laid eyes on Daniel Tupou in 2011.

The familiar sensation traced back to a number of years earlier, when O'Sullivan signed a lanky kid named Israel Folau for his previous bosses at the Melbourne Storm.

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"He was about 10 per cent of Izzy, but he's still the only other player in the comp that can do what Izzy can," O'Sullivan said.

"Apart from his size, his speed and his athleticism there wasn't much to like.

"The difference is that Izzy was a ready-made first grader at 17 years old, but Daniel was nowhere near that stage at the same age.

"He's matured slowly and now, at 21, I think Daniel is where Izzy was at 17. He's got the match lit, so to speak."

O'Sullivan rolled out the same phrase ahead of Folau's debut and his career - in rugby league at least - justified the hype.

In his first three NRL appearances late last year and throughout the trials, Tupou has done everything to suggest he'll do likewise.

The 195cm Tongan winger bagged a hat-trick against Wests Tigers in just his second NRL appearance and was last week rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

The security of the new deal is something foreign to the Bulldogs junior, who couldn't make Canterbury's SG Ball squad.

"I was a Bulldogs fan growing up and it was always my dream to play for them," Tupou said.

"But it didn't work out. I don't really know why, I suppose I just wasn't good enough."

Tupou received a lifeline from Parramatta but struggled to get a consistent chance on the wing in Toyota Cup during his two-year stint.

O'Sullivan, however, liked what he saw from the limited exposure and offered a healthy deal to defect to Bondi.

Parramatta responded with just $15,000 a season, leaving Tupou with no choice but to pack his bags.

The most striking aspect of Tupou's game is his vertical leap, which, when added to his height, should ooze points for the Roosters.

It's a skill he honed as a junior high jumper and sprinter, representing at state level in schoolboy carnivals. 

View the original article here