There are some players you hear about before you see them play. That’s the case with the Tigers’ latest signings, Latu and Samuela Fainu.
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Wests Tigers recruiter Scott Fulton, himself a member of a league clan of some repute, reckons the investment the club has made into the Fainu family will soon begin paying dividends.
“Easily,” Fulton replied when asked if Latu Fainu, an 18-year-old five-eighth, would be ready to make the step-up to the NRL in round one of next year.
“He would stand up to first grade, no problems whatsoever. There’s a bit of [New Zealand legend] Olsen Filipaina about him because he’s such a strong bugger.
“He’s got the skill that Josh Schuster possessed at that age in terms of passing and the like, but he’s got defence like Andrew Johns. He’s got that head-on defence, he can lift them, like Johnsy used to.”
Fulton fired his first shot as Tigers recruiter in nabbing Latu and older brother Samuela, a 19-year-old forward who has already made five first-grade appearances, from his former club Manly. Wayne Bennett wooed their pair, but they turned down the legendary mentor to ink lucrative four-year deals with the Tigers.
“When they come good, it will be very cheap for the club, contrary to what some so-called experts say,” Fulton said.
So who is the most talented member of the Fainu family? The answer depends on who you ask.
“I always tipped Samuela as the best one as a kid,” said Tigers assistant Wayne Lambkin, who has coached all four brothers during their time at Westfield Sports High School. “The parents used to laugh at me and say ‘What do you mean, Samuela?’ I was saying they all got it wrong, that he would be the best of the lot.
“He’s very football-aware for a young forward. He’s got a good offload, a good pass, a halfback in a big body in many ways with his football intelligence. He’s got very tall and lean since he left school, I’ve always been a big fan of Sammy’s.
“Some of the things he did in that under-19s game I cringed at, how he was carrying on and it’s something that needs to be managed in his game. With the right people around him, they will break that out of his game and get him concentrating on footy.”
The Tigers have gambled on youth in their quest to climb off the bottom of the ladder. A rookie coach, in the form of club legend Benji Marshall, will be at the helm just as a crop of promising juniors are expected to progress into first grade.
The Fainus have further bolstered a youthful roster and the trio hold an ambition of playing in the NRL together, potentially as soon as next year.
“In due course you will see the three of them playing first grade,” Fulton said. “That would be a fairytale story, the family and the club would be over the moon with that. It would see the fulfilment of the investment in the boys.”
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