‘When they come good, it will be cheap for the club’: Can the Fainu brothers save Wests Tigers?

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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.

Latu Fainu is tipped for big things by Wests Tigers recruiter Scott Fulton.Credit: Renee Nowytarger

They have arrived with much hype, which has been growing from the moment Latu signed a record-breaking Sea Eagles deal in late 2021 that made him the highest-paid player yet to make his NRL debut.

Not all of the attention has been positive. The spotlight is something the family has been accustomed to after oldest brother Manase, 25, was jailed over a Mormon church dance stabbing.

And in the same week that he has finalised his future, Samuela is facing sanctions for his conduct after captaining the NSW side to victory in the under-19s State of Origin match at Redcliffe. It’s alleged he left the team hotel and sought revenge against Maroons players who sledged him about Manase’s plight throughout a spiteful encounter.

“The players that we select in our under-19s team expect to be treated like elite athletes and that is the way they are treated, but with that comes an expectation that they behave like elite athletes as well,” a NSWRL spokesperson said.

The Fainu footballing brothers. From left, Latu, Sione, Manase and Samuela.Credit: SMH

“We’re working through reports that suggest the behaviour of some of the people in the groups didn’t meet our expectation. That is really disappointing from our point of view and it is not something we can tolerate. There will be at least two code-of-conduct breaches that will be issued by the end of the week in relation to the reports we have received.”

The Tigers believe it is a minor misstep in what should be promising careers. The club already has another member of the family, 22-year-old prop Sione, on the books.

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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