How Tonga made Fifita
SOMETHING changed in Andrew Fifita during the World Cup with Tonga. He embraced a leadership role. He grew up.
And the benefits are now being enjoyed by Cronulla – and quite possibly NSW in the coming months.
Fifita has always been regarded as one of the game’s best forwards, but only now is his new-found maturity shining through.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan summed it up best when he told Fairfax Media: ‘‘Andrew Fifita now understands who Andrew Fifita is.’’
Fifita can prove he is at least the best prop in NSW when he goes head-to-head with Blues big boppers and Canterbury frontrowers Aaron Woods and David Klemmer at a packed Southern Cross Group Stadium this afternoon.
Flanagan was so impressed by Fifita’s maturity, especially with senior players Paul Gallen, Wade Graham and Luke Lewis all parked on the sidelines with injuries, that he did not hesitate in handing him the captaincy last week for the clash with Canberra.
The rampaging prop punched out an outstanding 80 minutes as he led the Sharks to an unlikely victory.
Captaining Cronulla would have been laughable not so long ago.
This was the same bloke who abused refs at suburban grounds and pledged his on-field support for a one-punch killer.
‘‘Andrew’s footy has been consistent the past few years with the grand final, Origin and playing for Australia,’’ Flanagan says. ‘‘But he’s matured, he’s got a high profile and understands what he needs to do for the club, his family, community, Tonga – it’s all come together for him.
‘‘It all happened a little too quickly for him [to begin with] and he didn’t understand how to handle the spotlight. He got himself into a bit of trouble.
‘‘Playing with Tonga defi- nitely helped him. I’m not sure what he did in that camp, but I’m sure he had to be a leader.
‘‘I gave him the captaincy the other day, and there were a lot of people I could have given it to. Chad [ Townsend] is a really important player in our team in terms of his position and calling the plays, and Matt Moylan has captained Penrith.
‘‘But with Andrew he’s always been front and centre when it has come to the leadership things we do. He never sits back and lets someone else lead.’’
Fifita caused a stir when he chose Tonga over the Kangaroos on the eve of the World Cup. North Queensland’s A$10 million man Jason Taumalolo also gave New Zealand the flick to join the tiny Pacific nation.
Tonga coach Kristian Woolf said the Fifita who left after the World Cup was a very different man to the one who arrived.
Tonga were the surprise packets of the tournament, coming within a whisker of reaching the final.
‘‘He definitely grew as a person,’’ Woolf says.
‘‘You need to be on your game with Andrew because he will challenge you. If he doesn’t agree with you, he’ll let you know, and if he does, he’ll back you.
‘‘The thing with Andrew was he always had the right intentions; he was there for the right reasons and wanted to win.’’
They say props don’t peak until their late 20s. Fifita turns 29 next month.
His mates rave about the ‘‘big motor’’. The only thing that is bigger is his personality.
Things were expected to quieten down once James Maloney left the Shire for Penrith, but Fifita kept the laughs coming.
‘‘He was always louder than me,’’ Maloney says. ‘‘But at least I’m funny. He doesn’t have a sense of humour.’’
Maloney affectionately refers to Fifita as ‘‘fatso’’. New Sharkies recruit Josh Dugan prefers ‘‘Bop’’. The Sun-Herald GETTY IMAGES