Vatuvei out to make an impact

Manu Vatuvei is keen to make his mark at his new club, the Salford Red Devils.

Vatuvei departed the Warriors last week after 13 years with the Auckland-based NRL club, and has already arrived in the north of England to join his new Super League side.

The 31-year-old Vatuvei only played once for the Warriors this season due to calf and knee injuries, but was keen to get started with Salford.

"I want to make sure I do everything as best as I can for the new club," Vatuvei said. "I don't want to come here and not perform and not do my job."

"I just can't wait to show what I can do and I'm looking forward to playing some consistent footy," Vatuvei said.

Salford are poised for a top-four finish at the end of the regular season and are preparing for a Challenge Cup semifinal, and he is determined to contribute.

"I don't want to come here and ruin the hard work that boys have been doing. I just want to come and hopefully make an impact on what they've been doing and just continue to do what I do and play how I play."

Vatuvei said it still felt like it wasn't real, but he was excited to get things going.

"I have picked a few things off some of the boys over here" he said.

"They've said it was pretty much similar to the NRL. I don't know too much [about Super League], but once I get my first game and get the feel of it week to week I know how different it is and what it feels like."

The big winger played 226 games for the Warriors, scoring 152 tries, as well as playing 29 tests for New Zealand.

Salford are third on the table as the Super League heads into the Super 8 part of the competition and Vatuvei was keen to settle into his new surroundings quickly.

"I'm looking forward to getting around and seeing everything and getting familiar with the area. I'll be here for a while now so I want to make sure that I know all the good places for coffee and feeds with the boys."

 

Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung/ Getty Images (A few days after his farewell from the Warriors, Manu Vatuvei is keen to get started with the Salford Red Devils).