SAUASO SUE is relishing the physicality of Super League as he prepares for his first Hull derby.
The 30-year-old prop has played every game so far this season for Hull KR following his off-season move from Newcastle Knights.
Sue will experience one of the game’s most fierce rivalries for the first time on Good Friday when the Robins take on Hull FC at the MKM Stadium.
But he has already been impressed by the intensity of every game since arriving in England.
“The hits are solid!”, said the former Samoa international in the latest issue of Rugby League World.
“Sometimes it’s harder to defend than in the NRL because there’s not as much structure, and that free-flowing footy is harder to defend sometimes.
“It’s a real fast-paced game and I’m really enjoying it.”
A big help in getting Sue up to speed has been the pre-season under Willie Peters, who also moved from the Knights, where he had been assistant coach, over the autumn.
Several players have rated it among the toughest they have had and Sue concurs: “It was a pretty intense pre-season. From what I’ve had in the NRL it was right up there, it was tough.
“I think the hardest bit was training on 4G pitches instead of grass. The body took a couple of weeks to adjust to that.
“It was pleasing to see in those first couple of weeks all that hard training paying off. It’s a long season, so we can’t get ahead of ourselves, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
Rovers will have a timely boost for the Hull derby with captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall available again following the completion of a four-match ban.
Kenny-Dowall’s long-term future at the club, however, is uncertain following the signing of 20-year-old centre Corey Hall from Wakefield Trinity, on a contract until the end of 2025.
Hall has joined in a swap deal which saw Will Dagger move in the other direction.
Peters said of Hall: “He’s a talented player for the future and definitely a Super League centre who people will get to know more about in years to come.
“He’s in the early stages of his development, but we’re looking forward to working with him over the next two-and-a-half years.”
