New ambitions reveal themselves in young men daily and life circumstances can change at any moment – but if everything goes according to plan – David Fifita will play in the NRL.
This declaration is not meant to produce the unintended consequence of drawing undue pressure onto a young man still developing his skills – but it is more a statement projecting a natural progression; a logical conclusion to the impressive way he has conducted himself so far both on and off the field.
David Fifita playing with Souths Logan.
His down-to-earth attitude, his willingness to work hard and his respectful nature are attributes which have continually seen him earn selection in various Queensland representative teams, including in this year’s Under 18 Emerging Origin squad.
Grounded by the support of his family which drives him to continue to push forward, he sees great benefit in these annual camps administered by the QRL in conjunction with the Queensland Academy of Sport, and looks forward to growing the bond he has with his potential representative team-mates.
“If you want to be a Queenslander [Queensland player], this is a step closer to what you want to be,” Fifita told QRL Media.
He has played with distinction for the Souths Logan Magpies in the Cyril Connell Cup and Mal Meninga Cup; and was a respected leader of the Under 16 Murri team, captaining the side in 2016.
Being presented his Queensland Murri Under 16 jersey by Sam Thaiday.
That year, he also co-captained the Queensland Under 16 team that fell an agonising two-points short of a draw with NSW; a leadership honour he shared with fellow rising star and 2018 Emerging Origin squad member Cory Paix.
He and ‘Paixy’ (as Fifita calls him) have had an interesting journey together through the various Queensland Rugby League pathways. They have been opposing captains for the Magpies and Western Mustangs, but have shared a common purpose when pulling on a maroon-coloured jersey in the representative arena.
Last season was a mixed one for the Brisbane Broncos-contracted forward, with Fifita battling through a number of injuries (ankle and pinky) that robbed him of the chance to play in both the Mal Meninga Cup state final and in the Queensland Under 18 side. However, he was able to finish his season on a high; skippering Keebra Park to the national GIO Cup title with a win over Westfields Sports.
On the field, Fifita aims to bring creativity to his role as a forward and has modelled a lot of his game on his favourite player Corey Parker.
In action for the Queensland Under 16 side.
“I always looked up to and idolised him … I like his offload and I can relate to that with my offload and I always try to play like him.”
As for reaching his future goals, the focus is simply to keep working hard.
“I just have to keep taking it day-by-day, step-by-step, keep learning.”
*Hear more about David's journey in the video below.
QAS Under18 Spotlight: David Fifita
