Attacking gun turns to Dymock for defence tips
THE NRL’s newest milliondollar man will meet his new teammates for the first time on Monday but David Fifita won’t be there on a social call when the Titans return to training.
The club’s marquee signing will hit the ground running as he looks to rehabilitate the knee and ankle injuries that plagued his 2020 season with the Brisbane Broncos.
While he works on rebuilding the strength that carried him to an Origin debut aged 19, Fifita will also hit the classroom to study at the feet of the Gold Coast team’s defensive guru, assistant coach Jimmy Dymock.
Fifita admitted that although his weight and fitness were pressing concerns, his greatest desire to improve was on the defensive side.
“I’ve been in a couple of times during this off period doing rehab running with my physio and the other trainers at the Titans,” Fifita said.
“My ankle and knee doing all right.
“I’m looking forward to getting into the pre-season on Monday and building for next year.
“Obviously I’m sweet with my attack but defensively I heard Jimmy is a real good deis fensive coach. I’m looking forward to working with him in the off-season to my defence right. That’s one of the big areas I need to improve on.”
Since entering the league in 2018, Fifita has proved himself to be a reliable if unspectacular edge defender with a 94 per cent tackle success rate.
His confidence without the ball is clearly low after a “crap year” in 2020 with injury and team results.
Fifita recorded his careerworst defensive performance in Brisbane’s 58-point blowout to the Roosters in Round 16, missing three of 26 tackles which all led to Roosters tries.
The same cannot be said of his form in attack, where Fifita’s 45 defenders beaten on 139 carries (32 per cent) rate was the second-best of any NRL forward, behind Penrith’s Viliame Kikau.
When fully healthy in 2019 Fifita recorded 106 tackle busts from 240 carries (44 per cent) to lead the entire league.
The Titans spent $3.5 million to sign rugby league’s most destructive ball-carrying forward for the next three years.
If the coaching staff can coax even stronger defensive performances from their 20year-old superstar they may have scored the NRL’s best forward, period.