But off the field he is a pleasant, well-spoken man who almost seems embarrassed to talk about himself.

Manu recently returned to the Macquarie Raiders after a stint in rugby with the Dubbo Rhinos and on Sunday against Nyngan set up two tries and rang the bell of a couple of Tigers ball-runners.

Raiders officials will be hoping to get a similar performance out of him when they host Parkes at No.1 Oval on Sunday.

After the Nyngan game he spoke about his time in rugby, saying there was no animosity with the Rhinos upon his departure and admitting the move was simply a case of him missing rugby league and looking after his family.

“I had been watching the Raiders in the first two rounds and I just missed the game and wanted to come back,” he said. “I missed the boys here and the game of league. It’s nothing against the Rhinos but I think league is my game. I have more room to move around the field and it’s more wide-open and I think that really suits the way I play football.”

Manu, 26, was a part of Group 11’s Country Championship winning side in 2011 but revealed he has no ambition to be part of the squad in 2012.

Group 11 won its opening match of this year’s competition against Group 10 last Saturday but with a young family at home, Manu wants to spend time there.

“I’ve got a son Toby, and he is only a year-and-a-half old and to go away Friday, play Saturday and then play Sunday would be tough,” he said.

“Maybe next year when he is a bit older and I can take him to games it might happen but I’d rather spend time at home and concentrate on helping the Raiders.

“When I left to go to the Rhinos I kept in touch with the boys here and they have welcomed me back so I really appreciate that.”

Manu’s background is in American Football and he graduated from Kansas State University after spending time in the college’s football team as a defensive end.

He admits he still loves the American game but concedes he is happy in rugby league.

“If I had to rank the codes I would probably have league and gridiron pretty close with rugby union behind them both,” he said.

“At the moment I’m playing league but I really loved my time playing American Football and it’s a game I still love to watch. They’re both collision sports with room to move but when I left the States and started playing league I really had to adapt.

“Over there as a defensive end I needed to be big and bulky and it wasn’t about endurance.

“When I started playing league I was about 130kg and I was used to having a couple of bursts on the field and then having time off when our offense had the ball.”

This Sunday, second-placed Macquarie will host third-placed Parkes in a blockbuster game at No.1 Oval.

But Manu isn’t too worried about the challenge of facing the Spacemen, who will be stinging after losing their grand final rematch to Dubbo CYMS last Sunday.

“We haven’t lost a match yet and while we aren’t playing our best we are in a good position,” he said.

“Jade Williams and the rest of the boys will come up with a game plan for Parkes and, even though it will be a challenge, if we play our best football I think we can win.”