Wii Talk » player to hit 1,000 points and is the sixth player under M

Its not often you see a regular Test player picking up the rubbish at a suburban ground, running the touchline at lower-grade matches and happily putting up his hand on club game day to do all those thankless jobs that so many others readily walk away from.Then again Tatafu Polota-Nau is a special character, and out in Sydneys gritty western suburbs, where rugby struggles to keep a firm foothold, the longtime Wallabies hooker is for good reason regarded as a rare gem.Same, too, at the Waratahs, where over 12 seasons he has been the most unselfish of servants, often to the detriment of his own body and mind -- constantly agreeing to play even when appearing seriously injured.His problem with concussion is not surprising considering Polota-Naus kamikaze tackling style, where with a low, fearless leap at his opponents he has constantly succeeded in thwarting dangerous midfield attacks. Such a courageous approach has taken its toll as personal safety has often been ignored by a player who has always placed the welfare of the team ahead of himself.Then again, few have been more committed to the grassroots, provincial and international rugby cause.Unfortunately, it appears one of those tight links is about to be loosened, as Polota-Naus teammates believe he has probably played his last game for the Waratahs. The most likely scenario is that he will join the mass exodus of Australian players heading overseas next season, adding further to the considerable brain-drain that the Australian Super Rugby provincial ranks is about to suffer.One hopes the Waratahs do all they can to retain the 30-year-old Polota-Nau as such humble and all-embracing rugby ambassadors are crucial to the wellbeing of a code that is under constant threat of losing its identity, especially at suburban level.What has set Polota-Nau apart is his deep appreciation of where he has emerged from.Unlike some professional players, who are more attuned to taking rather than giving, Polota-Nau, after growing up near Parramatta and learning the game in the area, has never forgotten his roots, realising the district football club scene can be so important to the upbringing and character of a youngster.Polota-Nau knew hardly anything about the game when he was 16. That changed when rugby-mad teacher Paul Ridgeway transferred to his school. Ridgeway wanted to start a rugby team at Granville South High School, sighted the well-built Polota-Nau, who at that time was completely focused on his studies, and said: Youll do.Within two years of his first game, Polota-Nau was co-captain of the Australian Schoolboys team. Another two years and he was named the International Rugby Boards Under-21 Player of the Year, and was in the Australia Test team.A decade on, he has seen the world as a consistent member of Wallabies line-ups; he now boasts 64 Test caps, which should be added to during the coming Rugby Championship, but as importantly he has never got ahead of himself.His local club -- Parramatta -- which he joined at Colts level is not one of the most fashionable in the Sydney premiership, and for years it has relied on a committed volunteer base to remain viable. There have been difficult financial times, but those in charge at Parramatta have stuck solid and continue to give the code an identity in a rugby league dominant environment.As much as club figureheads are important, so, too, are good, honest workers, and Polota-Nau has embraced that ethos.He has been on the Parramatta club board for the past five years, and whenever representative responsibilities do not conflict he heads out to their home ground in Merrylands on game day to help out wherever he is wanted. He also mentors players, goes through club match videos so that he can provide guidance to clubmates from various grades, and has helped out in coaching the clubs womens team.Such unselfishness was again on show last weekend. Even though he had played for the Waratahs against the Blues in Auckland on Friday night, that did not deter him from getting the first flight out of New Zealand on Saturday morning so that he could get back in time for Parramattas final round match.His trip was kept relatively quiet, with his Parramatta clubmates only hearing shortly before the match against Sydney University that he may soon be joining them.Polota-Nau came off the bench at the University No. 2 ground and played the final 25 minutes as a blindside breakaway. Not his customary position, but typical of Polota-Nau who has often filled in where most needed. In the past he has even been sighted in the Parramatta centres.Parramatta officials told ESPN that Polota-Nau after the Uni game made a point of telling the players, who had just been beaten by 23 points to finish the season in 10th spot on the Sydney Shute Shield ladder, how proud he was to wear the club colours, and that it was an honour to be one of their teammates.The game really needs more like Polota-Nau in its ranks. Such admirable players inspire, are exemplary role models, and remind all about what is good about grassroots rugby. He deserves every accolade. Cheap NFL Authentic Jerseys . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Cheap NFL Stitched Jerseys . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. http://www.nflmallwebsitecheap.com/ . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Cheap NFL Online Jerseys . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Cheap NFL China Jerseys . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. ATHENS, Ga. -- Yante Maten scored a game-high 19 points, J.J. Frazier added 18 points and Georgia never trailed to beat UNC-Asheville 60-46 Monday night.Georgias win marked the 250th coaching victory for Mark Fox, now in his eighth season. Fox is 127-104 at Georgia.We showed more poise, I thought we competed better, but were at home, said Fox, who has won seven of eight home openers at Georgia. Weve got to be able to deal with adverse situations on the road and adverse environments. ... Tonight we played better basketball and that is progress, which is good.Frazier tallied a 3-pointer at the 17:57 mark of the first half to record his 1,000th career point for Georgia (1-1). Frazier became the 47th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark.Its another win and another basket made, Frazier said. Im grateful to be healthy enough to play this long, but Ive been here four years so it was about time I got to it.UNCA (0-2) got double-digit scoring from Ahmad Thomas, who finished with 13 points, and Macio Teague, who added 11 points.Georgia shot 40 percent from the field (22 of 55) while UNCA managed 34 percent (20 of 59). UNCA also lagged behind on the boards as Georgia held a 45-29 edge on the glass, including 34 defensive rebounds.Usually its about boxing out and going to get it, pretty much, said Maten, who led Georgia with nine rebounds.UNCA collected 17 bench points to Georgias six. The only other areas where UNCA was able to keep up with Georgia were in the lane, where it posted 22 points in the paint compared to Georgias 24, and in the turnover department, where UNCA recorded 11 to Georgias 17 and posted 13 points off its opponents miscues.I was really happy with the way we took care of the basketball, certainly when looking at the turnover mmargin, UNCA coach Nick McDevitt said.dddddddddddd I was really happy with our ability to take care of the ball and how hard we were playing. We just couldnt get anything to fall. Some of them were ill-advised shots, but for the most part, I thought we were taking open looks by guys that can shoot the basketball.Georgia cleared its bench by games end, with seven of 14 players reaching the scoring column, including freshman Jordan Harris, whose first collegiate shot attempt was a 3-pointer in the second half.BIG PICTUREGeorgia: After falling in their season opener Friday night at Clemson, Georgia bounces back with a decisive victory over UNCAUNCA: The Bulldogs are still looking for their first win of the season after losing back to back games.AUGUST COMPANYFrazier is the 47th Georgia player to hit 1,000 points and is the sixth player under Mark Fox to reach the mark, joining Charles Mann (1,411 points), Trey Thompkins (1,396), Kenny Gaines (1,324), Nemi Djurisic (1,123), Travis Leslie (1,099) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (1,013).QUOTABLEWe have to see how it evolves. Some guys may be ready to take a step forward and some guys may not. But its nice to have some depth and were going to need some options. Georgia coach Mark Fox on employing all 14 of his players Monday.UP NEXTGeorgia: The Bulldogs will remain at home and will seek to improve to 2-1 on Thursday when they host Furman at 7 p.m. Georgia leads the all-time series 22-4 and is 13-1 against the Paladins in Stegeman Coliseum.UNCA: The Bulldogs will try to keep from starting the season at 0-3 when it travels to Spartanburg, SC, on Thursday to square off against USC Upstate. ' ' '