Why Api Koroisau is the perfect man to help Wests Tigers deal with its latest drama
Tales of Tiger Town? What about Api Koroisau’s Catalogue of Catastrophes?
Koroisau has seen his share of dramas at four different clubs across his NRL career, which ticks over to 250 NRL games on Sunday when his Wests Tigers take on Parramatta.
He has come to understand that bust-ups like the one involving playmaker Adam Doueihi and coach Benji Marshall last week are never ideal, but rarely real cause for concern moving forward.
As Koroisau summed it up on Friday: “There’s been plenty of chaos being in and around the NRL.”
Before Koroisau had even made his NRL debut, he was at South Sydney with some big personalities including Sam Burgess, who nearly traded blows with coach Michael Maguire during an end-of-season review in 2013.
He was at Manly when Daly Cherry-Evans and Jackson Hastings were involved in a physical altercation outside a strip club in Gladstone. In his time on the Northern Beaches, Koroisau also saw teammate Dylan Walker fined $10,000 for punching a door after a night out, and Willie Peters – then a member of the Manly coaching staff – punching on with head of performance Dan Ferris in The Rocks.
In 2021, a bleary-eyed Koroisau made headlines while celebrating Penrith’s grand final victory, sarcastically that he could not wait to win more silverware when he moved to the Tigers.
Throw in the sackings of coaches Maguire and Tim Sheens, the Lachie Galvin saga last year, which included a heated row in the sheds when Galvin first revealed he did not want to stay at the club, and now the Doueihi dust-up, Koroisau has learned a thing or two about how best to survive a rugby league soap opera.
Asked if he was now better equipped to deal with intra-club turmoil, Koroisau told this masthead: “I wouldn’t say it gets easier. But you learn how to deal with the [outside] noise better.
“I’ve gone through it a few times now, so you know you need to check in on the boys – the most important thing is the group, sticking together, and [making sure everyone] has what they need.”
Koroisau has regularly checked in on Marshall, who spoke about the emotional toll that comes with coaching on more than one occasion over the past week.
Pressed about Doueihi standing down from last weekend’s game against Canberra, and the claims the halfback was not happy with the lack of professionalism and accountability at the club – Koroisau said: “There’s already been plenty of speculation.
“We understand everyone is a human being, they have their feelings. If we want to win this week, we need to get over this [drama] quickly.
“The boys have been really good with him [Doueihi], and obviously gave him a bit of banter … you use humour to get over those moments.
“Of course he is [the best No.7 ast this club]. His form at the start of this season proved why he’s so good. He’s got the running game and he’s a big body. He’s one of those guys you love playing with. I’m trying to keep that [drama] to last week. If we get a win this week, it quietens all that noise.”
The 33-year-old remains one of the toughest players in the game. When Penrith medical staff assess injured players, they still ask: “When would Api be back?”
Koroisau remembers letting a try in on debut against Canberra, having only got his start because Issac Luke had injured his shoulder. Like so many players from that time at Souths, Koroisau labelled Luke one of the biggest influences on his career.
“I didn’t play grade in 2013, but the way he [Luke] included me in everything, the way he made sure I was doing the reps, he took me under his wing – he was incredible for me,” Koroisau said.
Lining up opposite Koroisau at CommBank Stadium will be Parramatta hooker Tallyn Da Silva, who played with Koroisau at the Tigers and celebrates his 50th NRL game.
Da Silva underwent a head injury assessment after Nathan Cleary kicked the ball into the back of his head from close range last Thursday night. Cleary said after the game he had done something similar to Koroisau during a captain’s run at Penrith, and the force of the ball popped one of the earrings out of his ear.
Nothing can keep Koroisau down. Contracted until the end of 2028, there is no reason he can’t reach 300 games. There is bound to be another drama or two – but Koroisau knows what to do.
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