DRAGONS forward Paul Vaughan said Sharks prop Andrew Fifita’s performance in Origin I set a new standard for front-rowers, but he’s expecting a response from the Maroons in game two – in particular from former Raiders teammate Josh Papalii.
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Fifita drew comparison to immortal and Queensland legend Arthur Beetson for his star showing in the Blues game one victory.
He almost single-handedly prompted a clean-out of the Maroons forward stocks with Coen Hess, Jarrod Wallace and Tim Glasby to debut at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night.
Vaughan, who was knocking on the door of Blues selection prior to game one, said he was one of many who marveled at the performance.
“It was probably the best individual performance from a front-rower that I’ve seen for quite a while,” Vaughan said.
“I was watching the game, the first 20 minutes was just chaos and I think Fifita played really well.
“He’s a freak of a player and, when he’s on, he’s really hard to stop. The performance warranted all the raps he got.”
There’s been talk that Glasby has been brought in specifically as a Fifita-stopper, but Vaughan pointed to Raiders wrecking ball Papalii as the man most likely should the Maroons try to fight fire with fire.
“I played a couple of season Papa and he’s one of the most brutal defensive players I’ve ever seen,” Vaughan said.
“I wouldn’t be running at him personally but I’m sure will do a good job on him.
“At the end of the day you’ve just got to stop Fifita but it’s easier said than done because when he’s on his game he’s pretty hard to stop.”
In other game-day news, Panthers forward Trent Merrin was called into Blues camp and will complete the warm-up as 18th man after Dragons forward Jack de Belin copped a one-match ban for a crusher tackle in Sunday’s loss to Parramatta.