Guilt hit when Eels were down

parragirl · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:59 am Post subject: Guilt hit when Eels were down

Remorseful ... Weller Hauraki refelects on the Kings Cross shooting. / The Sunday Telegraph

IT was last Saturday night, sitting next to suspended Parramatta team-mates Jarryd Hayne and Junior Paulo, when the guilt hit Weller Hauraki.

Until then, Hauraki considered himself, Hayne and Paulo innocent victims of the drive-by shooting in Kings Cross.

Eels team-mates had sent messages of support, felt they had been punished too heavily with a one-match suspension.

But as Parramatta trailed the Bulldogs 20-0 at half-time in the season-opener, Hauraki acknowledged they had let their team-mates down.

"Me, Junior and Haynesy felt a bit guilty,'' Hauraki said.

"We were sitting together, shaking our heads, thinking hopefully they win. We took a bit of blame for it, what happened in the lead-up to that game.''

Hayne, Paulo and Hauraki have all been recalled for today's match against the Warriors in New Zealand, just 20 days after they were shot at by an unidentified man.

And Hauraki, who has played only five NRL games, has the added responsibility of stepping into the starting team for Nathan Hindmarsh, who has remained in Australia.

While he struggled to sleep after the shooting, Hauraki said he had dealt with his demons.

"It wouldn't ever come across my mind that someone would pull a gun out,'' Hauraki said.

"We saw someone jump out of the car and we just heard a bang. It was fired directly at us.

"Anyone would say that a gun getting shot at you is probably the worst thing that can happen.

"But when you've got a job like this, you can't really afford to keep it in your head, you've just got to get over it. The club asked if we needed to go to therapy but I just wanted to train and get on with it. If you dwell on it, you won't play good footy.''

Hauraki quit school, left New Zealand and joined Parramatta as a 17-year-old. He initially worked security to help fund his rugby league career.

Now 23, he says he is the fittest he has ever been and had refused to let the suspension slow him down.

"Me and the boys had a talk together and said we've got to train hard, show them we want to be in the team.

"We had to show not only (coach Michael Hagan) we wanted to be back on the team, but the boys as well.''

Hayne, who predicts Hauraki could become a Kiwi international this year, said he, Hauraki and Paulo had motivated each other to return.

"We all stuck together, we all ripped in at training and we all worked hard to get back in the squad,'' Hayne said.

http://www.news.com.au/dailyteleg.../0,26799,23416791-5006066,00.html

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