HE'S the wrecking ball who has made a habit of terrorising the Newcastle Knights.
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But the prospect of lining up directly opposite Gold Coast Titans strike weapon David Fifita at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday appears unlikely to cause Knights veteran Tyson Frizell to lose any sleep.
"I've been playing long enough to not be intimidated by players," Frizell said with a wry smile. "He's a good player and he's been playing some great footy.
"It's probably his best season so far, and he deserves the raps he's been getting, too. So he's no different to any other player putting on a Titans jersey on Sunday ... I'm not too worried."
No forward in the NRL has crashed through more tackles this season than Fifita, who has left 48 defenders in his wake in nine games, making three line breaks, delivering 17 offloads, five try assists and scoring one try himself.
And the 115-kilogram back-rower seems to relish playing against the Knights. In four games for the Titans against Newcastle, he has scored five tries, including a devastating hat-trick in a 42-16 win in 2021.
Overlooked by Queensland for last year's State of Origin series, the 23-year-old is well and truly back on the radar of Maroons coach Billy Slater.
But the Knights could hardly have a better man marking him than Frizell, a veteran of 225 NRL games, 14 Tests and 14 Origins, who has racked up 239 tackles this year at a 97.2 per cent efficiency rating - despite carrying an ankle injury into a number of games.
Frizell's form has been so consistent that, at 31, he could well be in line for a recall to the Blues, who he last represented in 2020.
NSW coach Brad Fittler would certainly be well aware that Frizell has never let his state down in the past, and if he can do a job against Fifita on Sunday, it might be the perfect audition for interstate-series opener in Adelaide on May 31.
The same applies to Knights prop Daniel Saifiti, whose Origin hopes last season were cruelled by injury.
The towering prop goes head to head on Sunday with Queensland heavyweights Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika.
"He's obviously one of the best middle players in the comp,'' Saifiti said of Fa'asuamaleaui. "Their whole middle is pretty strong. Fotuaika is also playing really well ... they're a good pack but we're up for it."
Meanwhile, New Zealand internationals Abigail Roache and Laishon Albert-Jones are among six more NRLW signings revealed by the Knights, along with Parramatta duo Rima Butler and Tamerah Leati, and Queensland under-19 representatives Jayde Herdegen and Felila Kia.
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