NRL 2023: Sea Eagles grant young gun Latu Fainu permission to leave | Sport Confidential
SPORT CONFIDENTIAL: One of the NRL’s brightest stars could be on the move as the salary cap starts to bite the Sea Eagles.
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Manly have granted boom youngster Latu Fainu permission to negotiate with rival clubs despite being in the middle of the richest deal ever inked by a teenager.
Fainu signed a four-year contract with the Sea Eagles in 2021 just months after his 16th birthday which put the young half on track to earn the most money of any teen in rugby league history.
Despite the fact he is progressing well through Manly’s junior grades, the club has granted Fainu permission to move on at season’s end as the salary cap starts to bite the Sea Eagles.
Fainu’s brother Samuela also has 12 months left on his contract but he too could join Latu out of the club with the pair expressing a desire to play alongside each other long-term.
Wests Tigers have loomed as the frontrunners to land the brothers with the Tigers already having another Fainu on their books. Sione Fainu joined the Tigers midway through last year from Manly with the 21-year-old prop yet to make his NRL debut.
New Tigers head of recruitment Scott Fulton remains close to the Fainu family given his former role at the Sea Eagles.
The Dolphins have also been linked to them.
Latu was due to come into Manly’s top 30 squad next year but with Daly Cherry-Evans, Josh Schuster and Jake Arthur on their books they would struggle to carry another half.
Fainu was part of Manly’s undefeated Harold Matthews premiership winning side in 2021. He has stepped up into Manly’s NSW Cup side in recent weeks.
Samuela made his NRL debut earlier this year and has played five matches following in the footsteps of brother Manase who played 34 games for the Sea Eagles before he was jailed for at least four years and three months after he was last year found guilty of a stabbing outside a Mormon church.
PONGA GOES PUBLIC TO REVEAL NEW GLAMOUR COUPLE
This is the Sutherland Shire bombshell who has stolen the heart of one of rugby league’s most eligible bachelors.
Kalyn Ponga has gone public with his new partner Gabrielle Peak, with Peak sharing images of the notoriously private Newcastle superstar on her Instagram account in recent weeks.
Peak is a handy sportsperson in her own right, having represented Sydney University at the top flight in the Women’s National Premier League soccer competition.
TIGERS HOMECOMING MISSION
The Wests Tigers have reached out to one of their own as they look to solve their halves dilemma heading into next season.
Sport Con understands that incoming Tigers coach Benji Marshall has personally contacted Jock Madden to gauge his interest in a return to the club.
Madden played a handful of first grade games for the Tigers before heading to Brisbane, where he has served as the back-up to Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam.
With his path to first agreed blocked by Mam and Reynolds, the Tigers spotted an opportunity to lure him back to the club to flesh out their playmaking options.
As it stands, the Tigers have only Adam Doueihi under contract for next season and he is likely to be sidelined for the bulk of the year after undergoing knee surgery.
Luke Brooks recently rejected a two year deal from the Tigers worth upwards of $1 million while Brandon Wakeham is off contract.
It leaves the Tigers short on options for next season and it is understood there were some in the club who saw Madden as a viable alternative even though he has another year remaining on his contract.
STAR SEA EAGLE KNOCKS BACK CODE SWITCH
Manly have locked down one of their most exciting youngsters with Tolutau Koula shunning an opportunity to switch codes to ink a long-term deal at the club.
Koula is expected to formally sign off on a new three year deal which will keep the centre at the club until at least the end of 2027. He still has 12 months left on his current deal with Manly keen to secure him before he hit the open market on November 1.
Koula was linked with a switch to rugby having been a teenage prodigy during his time dominating for Newington College in the 15-man game.
However, the 20-year-old – who has played 30 NRL games – made it clear he wanted to remain in rugby league for now.
The Sea Eagles are also in talks to extend Josh Schuster having put a three year $2.5 million contract extension to him as well as forwards Taniela Paseka and Haumole Olakau’atu.
MAROONS’ SECRET ORIGIN INSPIRATION
“Proud, bless, happy, it’s my childhood dream. So Surreal to wear this Maroons jersey,” Jeremiah Nanai.
“Playing for Queensland is everything I dreamed of and more,” Reuben Cotter.
“This job, this team, this colour, this state…it’s important to me,” Billy Slater.
“To play for Queensland and get to play in front of 50,000 at the ground and five million at home is something that I will remember forever,” Ben Hunt.
“Giving up is never an option,” Daly Cherry-Evans.
Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans lived by his own motto which was plastered on the walls of the Maroons dressing room.
The quote “giving up is never an option” is attributed to Cherry-Evans and was one of five messages splashed inside the Suncorp Stadium bowels which Sport Confidential has uncovered.
Among the others are quotes from coach Billy Slater and other Maroons players Ben Hunt, Reuben Cotter and Jeremiah Nanai. Images of players embracing and with family members wearing the Maroons jersey are also plastered alongside the words.
Cherry-Evans lived up to his mantra when he ran down flyer Stephen Crichton to save a try in a moment which will etched in Origin history.
“It was worth every bit of soreness that I’m feeling,” Cherry-Evans told Sport Confidential. “I just love being here and being part of this team. Anyway I can contribute I do.
“I know it’s not going to last forever. I’m trying to stay in the moment. I’m not looking too far ahead or looking at next year’s series.
“I am honestly just going game by game. If Origin ended for me right now I’d be proud of what my Origin journey has looked like. It hasn’t been perfect but I’m proud of it.”
MAROON OPENS UP ON ORIGIN II MIRACLE RECOVERY
Queensland superstar Cameron Munster has revealed that only hours before kick-off at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night he was battling fevers after being struck down by a mystery bug.
Munster managed to get through the game but he was struggling in the sheds afterwards, having sent an almighty fright through the Maroons camp.
The Queensland five-eighth wasn’t quite at his mercurial best as the Maroons wrapped up the series, no surprise given his condition prior to kick-off.
“I was crook as - fevers and that,” Munster told Sport Con.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I was crook, very crook. But I would play on one leg if I had to. I kept bringing it back to regardless of flu, I wasn’t going to give up the opportunity to play, the opportunity to wear the Queensland jersey with my name on the back.”
FUTURE TONGAN STARS ON TOUR
Rugby league continues to go from strength to strength in Tonga with a schoolboys side touring Australia for the first time this month.
An under-16s team will play two matches – the first against Manly at Narrabeen next Wednesday followed by a game against the Tigers at St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown on July 4. Tonga is also hopeful of putting together an under-14s tour of Brisbane in September and pushing to add schoolgirls tours in future years. The tour is being supported through the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports program.
This comes off the back of the success the Tongan national side has had in recent years.
BRONCOS PREPARE FOR LIFE AFTER REYNO
The Broncos have stepped up their preparations for life after Adam Reynolds by signing boom teenager Coby Black to a contract extension.
Black, regarded as one of the best young players in the game, will be one of the players to watch at the upcoming Australian schoolboys carnival.
The year 12 student was off contract at the end of the season but the Broncos tied him down for a further two years, meaning he will remain in Brisbane until at least the end of 2025.
Reynolds is off contract at the end of next year but Brisbane officials have opened discussions over a one-year extension that would likely see him join the coaching staff at the end of 2025.
Black will be waiting in the wings.
NOTHING BUT LOVE FOR MAROONS-BLUES RIVALS
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui insists he has nothing but love for Jarome Luai despite taunting the NSW five-eighth by pointing to the scoreboard in the dying embers of the second State of Origin game.
Fa’asuamaleaui was in the middle of the action as tempers frayed late in the match, prompting referee Ashley Klein to send Josh Addo-Carr to the sin bin and Reece Walsh and Jarome Luai from the field.
“It was just passion and obviously I was excited,” he said.
“In the heat in the middle there it was going back and forth. I pointed at the scoreboard and it speaks louder than words.
“I can’t leave my brother (Walsh) by himself. I have to make sure when stuff goes down that I am the first one there.
“But it is all love at the end of the day. I spoke to Jarome after and it is all love. I respect that fella a lot. It is all good.
“I played with him when I was 19 for Samoa. We are two Samoa boys - we respect each other a lot.”
Fa’asuamaleaui came into the game under the microscope over his running technique, prompting some critics to suggest he was fortunate to be available following an incident that sidelined NSW hooker Api Koroisau for the series with a broken jaw.
“I guess actions and the scoreboard speak louder than words,” he said.
“It is a contact sport. I run as hard as I can. I have moved past that. I am not going to change the way I run.
“Just happy all the hard work has paid off. Just so happy we won tonight in front of our fans, our state and our families. The job is not done. We have to make sure we finish this series off in an even better way.”
LIKELY GRAND FINAL WINNER REVEALED
The ARL Commission is expected to rubberstamp the grand final for Sydney within days on a short-term deal that will mean the biggest game of the year is up for grabs again in 2024.
Sport Con understands that the commission discussed the future of the grand final at their meeting prior to Origin II and only some minor details remain before confirmation that the grand final will stay in Sydney.
The Queensland and Victorian governments made public bids for the grand final but the NSW government has come to the party with a deal that convinced the commission to keep the grand final in its spiritual home.
FLASHBACK
NSW were plunged into chaos on this day 15 years ago. Incumbent Blues and Cronulla five-eighth Greg Bird was ruled out of the Origin decider after he suffered a knee injury. Sydney Roosters No.6 Braith Anasta came into replace Bird.
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Originally published as NRL 2023: Sea Eagles grant young gun Latu Fainu permission to leave | Sport Confidential
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