From tvnz.co.nz
Bringing Roosters premier league halfback Grant Rovelli across the Tasman was always a smart option by the Warriors but it paid instant dividends when he turned out a top performance on debut.
The 23-year-old made immediate impact when he came on at hooker after half an hour of Sunday's clash with Melbourne at Ericsson Stadium.
He gave the Warriors direction around the ruck and took smart options out of acting half.
"The boys made it a lot easier for me," Rovelli told tvnz.co.nz after his first ever NRL match. "I came off the bench at a good time and just got behind a big forward pack."
The modest Rovelli was a cheap option for the club but a smart purchase as he looks to have a lot of potential and may well push for more game time after his telling dummy-half runs on Sunday.
"That was my job. Ivan spoke to me about it during the week and told me to get out of dummy-half as much as I could for the time i'd be out there and that is what I tried to do and just provide that extra option for Fieny [halfback Nathan Fien] I suppose."
With the confidence of a seasoned veteran, Rovelli fired a long cut-out pass deep into Melbourne's red zone on his first venture into attacking territory and put winger Tony Martin over for what appeared to be a try. Video replays confirmed that Martin had stepped into touch but the play showed off Rovelli's attacking ability.
"I was just hoping that the green light was going to come up and nothing else," Rovelli said.
"I thought it was a try and I don't know why he [referee Steve Clark] went for [the video replay] but in the end I guess it wasn't."
Despite his impact off the bench, the Warriors couldn't get the points against Melbourne, going down 22-16 in the end.
"We had asserted the dominance there but I think we just relaxed for 10 minutes.
"We didn't convert all our opportunities where they did and that was probably the difference," Rovelli added.
With a taste of first grade under his belt, Rovelli is licking his lips at the chance to get more game-time in the coming weeks as the Warriors go on the road in New Zealand - to Hamilton next weekend and Christchurch the following one.
"The crowd was awesome. The Auckland fans are unbelievable. Hopefully we can get the job done next week."
Fast Facts - Grant Rovelli
Date of Birth: 3/9/1983
Birthplace: Mackay (Queensland)
Height: 176cm
Weight: 82kg
Position: Halfback/Five-eighth/Hooker
Former Clubs: Roosters
First Grade Debut: Round 1 2006
Nickname: Ravs
Bringing Roosters premier league halfback Grant Rovelli across the Tasman was always a smart option by the Warriors but it paid instant dividends when he turned out a top performance on debut.
The 23-year-old made immediate impact when he came on at hooker after half an hour of Sunday's clash with Melbourne at Ericsson Stadium.
He gave the Warriors direction around the ruck and took smart options out of acting half.
"The boys made it a lot easier for me," Rovelli told tvnz.co.nz after his first ever NRL match. "I came off the bench at a good time and just got behind a big forward pack."
The modest Rovelli was a cheap option for the club but a smart purchase as he looks to have a lot of potential and may well push for more game time after his telling dummy-half runs on Sunday.
"That was my job. Ivan spoke to me about it during the week and told me to get out of dummy-half as much as I could for the time i'd be out there and that is what I tried to do and just provide that extra option for Fieny [halfback Nathan Fien] I suppose."
With the confidence of a seasoned veteran, Rovelli fired a long cut-out pass deep into Melbourne's red zone on his first venture into attacking territory and put winger Tony Martin over for what appeared to be a try. Video replays confirmed that Martin had stepped into touch but the play showed off Rovelli's attacking ability.
"I was just hoping that the green light was going to come up and nothing else," Rovelli said.
"I thought it was a try and I don't know why he [referee Steve Clark] went for [the video replay] but in the end I guess it wasn't."
Despite his impact off the bench, the Warriors couldn't get the points against Melbourne, going down 22-16 in the end.
"We had asserted the dominance there but I think we just relaxed for 10 minutes.
"We didn't convert all our opportunities where they did and that was probably the difference," Rovelli added.
With a taste of first grade under his belt, Rovelli is licking his lips at the chance to get more game-time in the coming weeks as the Warriors go on the road in New Zealand - to Hamilton next weekend and Christchurch the following one.
"The crowd was awesome. The Auckland fans are unbelievable. Hopefully we can get the job done next week."
Fast Facts - Grant Rovelli
Date of Birth: 3/9/1983
Birthplace: Mackay (Queensland)
Height: 176cm
Weight: 82kg
Position: Halfback/Five-eighth/Hooker
Former Clubs: Roosters
First Grade Debut: Round 1 2006
Nickname: Ravs
