JESSE Sene-Lefao will be a handy man to have in case the Grand Final gets heated after revealing he used to work as a bouncer.
But do not expect the Castleford ace to get to grips immediately with any Leeds player who steps out of line.
For his first action was to try and calm punters down by talking to them.
Sene-Lefao used to work as a doorman at RSL (retired servicemen) clubs in Penrith and Mona Vale, New South Wales, during his time at NRL side Manly.
Often he would head straight there after playing in matches as he tried to make it on the field.
Now he is about to get to the biggest stage in Super League, a sold out Old Trafford, he remembers his time patrolling the clubs in case there was any trouble.
Sene-Lefao said: “When I’d finish a game at Manly, often I’d go straight to work.
“I’d just had my first daughter, so I felt like I needed to provide and had to work two jobs.
“As I did it I felt that me working after games helped me play my best rugby, then I became a professional player and thought, ‘Why change something that’s working?’ So I kept doing it.
“RSL clubs are retired servicemen clubs but they would have a nightclub as well, there were two parts of them.
“My job was as an RSA marshal but also as a security guard, so I’d talk to the guy and tell them they were leaving.
“If they fussed up we’d put hands on but the goal was to get them out without using hands. Touch wood, I was pretty good at that!
“There was the odd time where we had to go hands on but we had a structure in place to restrain people and it didn’t put me in a dangerous position.”
Sene-Lefao, 27, is getting ready to play in the Super League Grand Final after being a spectator as Cronulla lifted the NRL title last year.
The contrasts between the Sharks and Castleford may be stark.
Cronulla has its own academy centre, with upgraded pitches, a state of the art gym and numerous other facilities.
Castleford, meanwhile, train at their Wheldon Road stadium and their gym is essentially a temporary building at the bottom of the car park. Often, sled pulls and pushes are done behind the main stand.
But Sene-Lefao insists one thing is exactly the same, what goes on between the ears.
He added: “It was very different at Cronulla last year as I wasn’t in the playing group.
“But we worked hard and I felt like I played a part as we had to train against them and get them ready to face Melbourne.
“We have a big squad ourselves and the guys that aren’t playing are doing just as big a job in opposing us in training sessions and helping us try to get the little things right for tomorrow.
“It was frustrating not to play but I set myself a goal of being positive and to do whatever I needed to do to help the team win.
“That took me a long way. Here, the facilities may be different but the mindset is still the same.”
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