Latu Fainu #282

Camel2281 said:
With any luck he goes well and comes into the NRL team at 14 at least
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I’m expecting he will get at least 2-4 weeks in KOE because he missed a chunk of preseason and will need gametime under his belt before shifting into top grade.

Hope he fires though we need these top talents to click into gear.
 
Seriously who was that other halfback we played last week? Noah Ryan was it. Where is he from? Didn’t do much special, though the whole team was on the backfoot all game
 
Needaname said:
Seriously who was that other halfback we played last week? Noah Ryan was it. Where is he from? Didn’t do much special, though the whole team was on the backfoot all game
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21-year-old halfback from the Raiders.

Played mainly Jersey Flegg for them last year.

Newcastle junior.

Didn't look impressive to me at all.
 
He should make a massive difference to the NSW Cup side. The halfback we had was way out of his depth.

He’ll be short of fitness but keen to see how he goes.
 
Scored a try from about 10 out by running himself. Looked pretty good for his first run. Only played about 50 minutes. I’d say they didn’t want to push his hamstring and will work more minutes into him over the next few weeks.
 
MothMan said:
Scored a try from about 10 out by running himself. Looked pretty good for his first run. Only played about 50 minutes. I’d say they didn’t want to push his hamstring and will work more minutes into him over the next few weeks.
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Which sounds smart. No point risking him to win a reserve grade game. The buzz seems to be he went well.
 
These kids are only 18. It’s not the worst thing in the world if one takes a bit longer than another. Don’t forget most players don’t become regular first graders till 20-21. Galvin may become an exception to that rule, but Fainu may not. No need to rush it.
 
www.smh.com.au

‘They never saw eye to eye’: How sibling rivalry became Tigers telepathy for debutant

Wests Tigers rookie Latu Fainu has an uncanny on-field connection with his brother and teammate Samuela. However, it wasn’t always the case.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

Cats and dogs. That is how the childhood relationship between the Wests Tigers’ latest debutant, Latu Fainu, and his brother and teammate, Samuela, has been described.

“In a house full of boys, you’re no good if you don’t put on the gloves,” said their mother, Lile, who raised eight children.

“Sometimes it was too late to pull on gloves – fists were going everywhere.
“When they were little, no word of a lie, they would be like cats and dogs.

Samuela would have the upper hand because he was the bigger kid than Latu, but they would never see eye to eye on anything.

“On the field, Samuela is more the boss man, he’s more protective.

“Latu is just a happy-go-lucky little kid, which is what used to trigger Samuela, because he is so serious.
The Fainu brothers, (from left to right) Sione, Samuela and Latu. Latu will make his NRL debut alongside Samuela on Saturday.

The Fainu brothers, (from left to right) Sione, Samuela and Latu. Latu will make his NRL debut alongside Samuela on Saturday.CREDIT:WESTS TIGERS

“Latu was just ‘yeah, OK’ and laugh, and that would annoy Samuela.

“They were really different when they were little. It was so funny watching them growing up. I’m glad they have changed for the best.”


In late 2021, when he was still 16, Latu signed the biggest contract ever for a player yet to reach NRL level. On Saturday, when he makes his debut from the bench against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium, fans will finally see what the fuss is about.

Now 18 – he turns 19 next month – the playmaker will become the third member of his family to reach the first-grade ranks, following in the footsteps of Manase and Samuela.
The Fainu family, with mum Lile in the centre.

The Fainu family, with mum Lile in the centre.

Latu and Samuela struggled to gel in their youth, but that changed once they started playing rugby league together. They have developed an almost telepathic understanding of where the other is on the field, as seen when they were part of the Sea Eagles’ unbeaten Harold Matthews Cup team in 2021, as well as during NSW’s victory in the under-19s State of Origin match last year.

“When they started playing at Manly together, they started running off each other,” Lile said. “Latu was the five-eighth, Samuela was the running forward and they got to a stage where they were running the show.

“You could tell because Manly were undefeated that year. When they play together, Latu will find a hole for Samuela to run through. That’s what I see.
“It just happens all the time. Latu can read when Samuela should be coming up or Samuela [knows], they just naturally sync in with each other.
Samuela and Latu Fainu after a NSW under-19s State of Origin win.

Samuela and Latu Fainu after a NSW under-19s State of Origin win.

“The family, if you knew us, would laugh all the time because it was never like that [in childhood].”

A suspension to fellow Tigers teen Lachlan Galvin, for a hip-drop tackle on Parramatta’s Kelma Tuilagi, has given Latu a chance to make the grade. Also on the Tigers’ books is another brother, Sione, who hopes to become the fourth family member to reach NRL level.

Manase was the first, but his career is on hold after he was jailed over a Mormon church dance stabbing. The hooker has maintained his innocence and is appealing the decision.

For the family, each debut has been special in its own way.

“With Manase, we had never experienced an NRL debut, so that felt really new and amazing, it was like, ‘We have an NRL son’,” Lile said.

“With Samuela, it was emotional because Manase had just gone into jail and we were feeling like our life was crumbling, that everything was going bad.

“And this one is more shocking. I always knew Latu would make it, that he had it in him. However, he’s been battling injury after injury. And when we got the call, we were shocked.

“I just feel the best is yet to come. Sione is a wonderful father and a great player, I feel he will make it, too. The best is yet to come.”

As to which of her children is the best player, Lile replied: “I can’t say. On the joke side, I’d say mum and dad because we’re able to breed them.”
 
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