But Sia Soliola's former Roosters teammates are not surprised he has returned from England with a knack of putting on a brutal hit intact.

The 28-year-old has lost none of his intimidatory value, whacking Melbourne Storm playmaker Cooper Cronk on his backside twice in the Raiders' 14-10 loss to Melbourne in round six.

He repeated the dose against Tigers halfback Luke Brooks at Leichhardt last week, his hit helping inspire Canberra's comeback from 22-0 down.

Former Roosters enforcer Mick Crocker said Soliola always had the technique to rattle a few cages, even in his teenage years when he was dubbed "man child" by teammates.

"I don't think he'd be that proud to be talking about the halfbacks he's hit, but back in the day when he was at the Roosters he hit everyone," Crocker said.

"We had training where Ricky [Stuart, former Roosters coach and current Raiders coach] made us run as fast and hard as we could at each other and if you got paired up with Sia, you weren't moving around too well for a couple of days.

"He's a very hard man and he has great technique. He might have been 15 back then but we didn't know, we used to call him man child.

"It [enforcer] wasn't really his role back then, he played centre for us but it is something Ricky has always promoted, put the pressure on the halfback and make them play early.

"I was pumped when I heard he signed for the Raiders, he was perfect for what they needed. It doesn't matter who does it [big hits] but big plays like that when teams are looking for inspiration are crucial."

Penrith's Nigel Plum, who also played for the Roosters, is lauded by his peers as the game's biggest hitter, winning the gong in Rugby League Week's player poll last year for the third time.

But Crocker believes Soliola who he made his debut for the Roosters in 2005, can give Plum a run for his money.

"He's always been one of the best at being able to put a hit on," Plum said. "I never took that much notice, he had a reputation for it, but we all knew he was capable of it.

"He was always a great defender, and good to have in the side.

"I don't think it matters how long you're out of the NRL for, if you're a good player like Sia you'll come back and make a difference, and he's certainly done that.

"It doesn't matter where he plays, he's able to hit blokes whether it's in the centres or the back row."

Soliola was lured home by Canberra after five years with St Helens for his leadership value, and the former New Zealand international has been a valued mentor for the young team.

Former Roosters teammate James Aubusson lived with Soliola when they were teenagers and believes it's his defensive technique that helped him make his NRL debut at just 18.

"He was enormous and ripped, a bit of a specimen even back then," Aubusson said.

"The boys used to say he had shoulders made out of rocks. You didn't want him tackling you at training. I can only imagine what it's like in a game.

"He can hit big because he has the ability to read the play before it happens, he has so much momentum up by the time he hits you.

"The contact's big, but it's only because he knows where they're going to be, and what's going to happen before it does.

"It's harder to do that on the edge than in the middle. He has a great knack of being able to line someone up.

"He's up there with the best of them."

"[Raiders coach] Ricky Stuart had him at the Roosters while we were both there and he's got him straight back, that tells you what sort of person he is."

The targeting of playmakers by forwards has come under the microscope since Newcastle enforcer Beau Scott made a point of trying to rattle North Queensland star Johnathan Thurston in round two.

But Plum insisted halves should expect to receive a strong hit occasionally if they take the line on, as long as it's within the rules.

"It's a contact sport, if everything's done legally than I don't think it matters," Plum said.

"It's part of the game, it always has been, and it's always going to be.

"The way I see it, is as long as it's done legally, they [halves] are fair game."

SUNDAY

NRL round eight: South Sydney Rabbitohs v Canberra Raiders at Barlow Park, Cairns, 4pm

TV: Live on Nine