It’s been four years since Patrick Mago last played with Andre Savelio – and the Warriors prop will be hoping the only damage this time will be to his old friend’s ego.
From teammates to rivals, the two will meet tomorrow evening at the DW Stadium in the seventh round of the Betfred Super League.
They briefly played together for Brisbane Broncos in 2018, when Savelio ruptured his anterior-cruciate ligament 7in a pre-season match… stealing a carry from Mago.
And Wigan’s winter signing still jests about the incident to this day.
He said: “We both went to the Broncos at the same time – I went from Cowboys to Broncs and he came from [Warrington]. Andre had a pretty good pre-season and definitely would have played NRL that year but unfortunately in trials he got injured.
“I still joke about that with him to this day. The time he got injured I was about to take a carry and he pushed me out the way said he hadn’t done anything yet so wanted to take the carry.
“I said take the carry then and he did his ACL.
“Now I tell him he should have let me take that carry!”
With Warriors third and Hull fifth, tomorrow’s clash could prove a key juncture in the season’s battle for play-off places.
But there’s something much more personal at stake: bragging rights.
Mago added: “[Savelio’s] been doing good. I love Andre. He’s a good player but he’s got the biggest head.
“He’s got some skill. During training and when I was with him he liked to show off a bit.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge and to see Dre tomorrow. It will be good to get one up on him.”
There’ll also be a sense of double jeopardy – or double ecstasy – for Mago who will face up against another old teammate in Joe Lovodua, who he met briefly at South Sydney Rabbitohs for the 2020/2021 season.
He said: “[Lovodua’s] very skilful. I played with him at Souths and he’s got a good motor on him.
“I’m going to try get one over on these guys because they love a talk after and it’s about bragging rights for whoever wins this game.”
