@jadtiger said in [2022 Pre\-Season Photos](/post/1502397) said:@tigerwest said in [2022 Pre\-Season Photos](/post/1502395) said:@tigers_wests said in [2022 Pre\-Season Photos](/post/1502282) said:@kingrobbie said in [2022 Pre\-Season Photos](/post/1502276) said:**CORRECTION...**
Apologies... thought this was Fonua Pole but is actually Christian Ma'anaima, a 20-year-old prop from Newcastle. Supposed to be the real deal and was apparently close to playing NRL in 2021.
Unsure if he's signed to join the Top-30 or is on a train-and-trial deal etc.

Took this from the Knights player profile pages:
Born in New Zealand, Ma’anaima moved to Australia at the age of 15 to enter the Knights development system.
Ma'ainama impressed so much that he was signed to a three-year NRL contract, starting with a year in the development squad in 2021.
An intimidating presence with a strong offload, the Junior Kiwis rep has a bright future as one of the NRL's brightest young forwards.
With a full pre-season alongside the likes of Daniel Saifiti and David Klemmer now under his belt, Ma'ainama will be one to watch in 2021.
..You would think if he had a 3 year NRL contract with Newcastle, that he would have been offered at the very least a development contract here to get him to make the switch.
I guess we need to understand why Newcastle have let him go? Seems strange, but hopefully a great gain for us?
It happens at all clubs including ours,you can't hold on to them all.The only important thing is the player you get needs to be a better fit for the club than the one you let go
Agree, but he apparently had big raps on him and probably hasn't played much lower grade due to Covid, so maybe there is or isn't an issue?