‘I want to stay with my brothers’: Fainu family eyeing Tigers reunion as Samuela nears big-money extension
As Samuela Fainu nears a $1.6m Tigers extension, his brother Manase’s prison release has created an intriguing situation for the family, who wish to all don the Wests jersey at the same time.
Tyson Jackson - October 21, 2026 - 2:31PM
The Fainus are set to welcome back oldest brother Manase from prison next week, as the family look to secure their long-term future in the NRL.
Former Manly hooker Manase has been exiled from the game after being jailed in 2022, when he was found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He will now prepare to take his first steps as a free man following his four-year imprisonment, and will be at Sunday week’s World Cup blockbuster between Tonga and Samoa in Sydney.
“It’s actually really exciting,” Latu said of having his brother leave prison.
“We’ve been waiting for a long time for him to come out.”
The clash between Tonga and Samoa could be the first time Manase, 28, gets to see his brother Latu play a professional game in person.
Tonga five-eighth and Wests Tigers playmaker Latu was still playing SG Ball (under-19s) when Manase was convicted in August 2022, with the Fainu family preparing a party following the game.
“He’s actually going to come to the Tonga game when he comes out,” Latu said.
“After the game we’ll go out, just have some dinner, have a barbecue with all the friends together.”
Once Manase is settled back into a regular routine, Latu, Samuela and Sione will all start to help their brother make his way back to the NRL for the first time since 2019.
“He will come out and we will all start training together, hopefully he’s at the Tigers too,” Latu said.
The contracts of three of the four Fainu brothers are still not finalised at the Tigers.
Sione extended with the club last season on a three-year deal, keeping him at the Tigers until the end of the 2029 season.
Samuela is believed to have agreed to a $1.6 million extension, as revealed by this masthead, which will also keep him at the club until the end of 2029.
Latu has revealed he is yet to open contract talks, despite the young half being earmarked to replace Jarome Luai in the No.6 jersey to start next year.
“Not yet. Hopefully the club starts talking to me soon,” Latu said.
“I want to stay with my brothers. I’ve always wanted to play with them since I was young and we got the chance to do that at Tigers, so hopefully stay there.”
Despite wanting a new contract with the club, Latu admits his injury history has hindered his chances of becoming a full-time playmaker.
Injuries haunt him to this day—just a week ago, he believed he had torn his pec after aggravating an old niggle.
Now, he’s ready to put that behind him to ensure he gets the chance to become the Tigers’ long-term five-eighth.
“I’m definitely interested,” Latu said on replacing Luai in the halves.
“First I need to get myself ready, make sure I’m fit, make sure I’m injury-free, and if I do that, then I’ll definitely go for the chance to play in the six jersey.
“I think being honest with myself, holding myself accountable, making sure I’m doing my rehab right, injuries, stretching, all those little extras, making sure I’m ready to go out there on the field and do what I can do.”
Latu was cleared of any major injuries with his pec and will line up off the bench for Tonga this weekend.
“I sort of felt it go, but it was just more a recovery response, and physios here, they’ve been training us, so it actually feels pretty good,” he said.