AARON Rameka knows he's got big shoes to fill.

Bernie Upton's shoulder injury means Rameka is now entrenched in the Bay lineup. He's starting tomorrow's game against Hawke's Bay and is shaping as a long-term replacement when Upton heads  home to Wellington at the end of the season.
``I've definitely had to reassess things,'' Rameka mused. ``With a big off-season, I might be able to fill Bernie's shoes permanently. Like anything, it just means more and more hard work.''
Any past season and a mention of hard work would have had him heading west. In fact, just six months ago, he was an unfit and unheralded club player for Whakarewarewa contemplating just one more year battling in Baywide trenches.
But Steamers coach Andre Bell, aware that Rameka's 1.98m frame was relatively rare in the Bay, dangled a large blue and gold carrot in front of him on the proviso he got fit and lost some fat.
``I haven't been 115kg since high school,'' the former Rotorua Boys' basketball star said with undiluted glee. ``Rugby's a lot easier when you're not carrying 20kg extra weight around.
``There's still a lot of conditioning to do - I've never been a guy who's gone to the gym - but I'm really going to step up those aspects of my game.''
In the meantime, he's running around like he's been given the keys to the kingdom. Despite a solitary cap for the Steamers in 2002, the Rotorua plasterer has found representative rugby relatively late in life and is determined not to let it go.
He's soaking up knowledge like a greedy drunk and spent much of last week picking Upton's considerable locking intellect.
``I have to mention Bernie - he's been really good helping me technically with this level of football. He's helped me a lot so I don't feel too far out of my depth. The Super 14 guys nursed me through my first big game.''
 With that respect, he won't be giving Upton grief after scoring his try on Saturday night, coming in the 68th minute when he popped up out wide to clutch a slick Cory Aporo pass.
Upton has waited four long seasons to cross for the Steamers and seems destined to return to Wellington pointless, especially after a cruel denial by the  TMO in the Tasman match.
He won't have to bear Rameka's taunts but he may have to live with the retelling for the rest of his time.
``I just managed to keep my big feet on the right side of the sideline,'' Rameka recounted. ``I was sweating on it for a while, thinking `don't you dare' as the TMO looked at it but it was all good.''
Steamers coach Andre Bell is also sweating on the availability of wing Anthony Tahana for tomorrow's must-win game. Tahana has a sore calf muscle and if it is not right he will be replaced by Charles Baxter. Marty Bourke will come on to the bench.  

Story and photo with thanks to the Bay of Plenty Times