Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui talks about his childhood with brother Tino
They grew up together, played together and trained together, now rising superstar Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui spills the beans on childhood footy battles with his more famous sibling, as he himself stands on the cusp of NRL greatness.
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Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui has had a dream for the past 10 years or more - to play in the NRL with older brother Tino.
The Gympie rugby league product is tantalisingly close to making that dream a reality after a rollicking season with Gold Coast Titans feeder club the Burleigh Bears in 2022.
Fa’asuamaleaui, a prop like his more famous sibling, last played alongside Tino when the pair were in the under-12s at junior club the Gympie Devils.
They then ran out together for the Titans in a recent trial match against the Redcliffe Dolphins, but although they warmed up at the same time, they were not in the same playing 13 at any stage during that match, with the pair both front-rowers.
Iszac signed for the Titans on a development deal for this campaign with a progression to the club’s top 30 squad set for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
NRL rules mean that the 21-year-old must wait until after round 11 this season before he can make his senior debut, but he said he was prepared to bide his time and continue to learn from his older brother.
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"Just running out alongside him in that trial match was a dream come true," he said.
"Obviously I want to make my NRL debut with him and that will be a different sort of feeling, I am sure.
"If and when that happens, and hopefully that will be later this season, it will obviously be a very proud moment for me and Tino and the family."
Tino has seen his career take off over the past few years, winning an NRL premiership with the Melbourne Storm in 2020.
The 23-year-old has also played nine times for the Queensland State of Origin side, winning the series over NSW in 2022, and was a member of the World Cup-winning Kangaroos squad in England at the end of November 2022.
Despite all that success, Iszac said his brother had always been there for him.
"What Tino has done has inspired me so much," he said.
"I think growing up we were always very close. We’ve always trained together, we’ve always played together since we were little and we’ve kind of always been pretty competitive.
"He’s always had that older brother edge but he’s shown me the way it has to be with the hard work.
"So, I’m still learning off him each and every day. It’s so good being able to train with him.
"Obviously we play in the same position but we are different type of players.
"But there are things I can incorporate into my game from his. He likes to be aggressive and likes to come out hard and lead from the front and he tries to teach me that I can use those attributes in my game."
Down the years Iszac and Tino have had many backyard rugby league battles.
While he would like to think he has come out on top, Iszac admits that Tino might just have the edge.
"He was definitely hard to get a win against," Iszac remembered.
"If I did get to win he always came back a lot harder and get that victory back.
"I wish I could say it was 50-50, but it was probably more like 60-40 in his favour.
"So, he’s always had a little bit of edge on me. I’ve always challenged him, but you know, the older brother toughness seems to have helped him out."
While he would have loved to have got the chance to play for the Titans earlier in the campaign, Iszac said having to wait would give him the opportunity to hone his skills further with the Bears in the Hostplus Cup and prove to Titans’ coach Justin Holbrook that he will not let him down if called upon down the track.
The Bears begin their season with a trip to the Norths Devils in Brisbane this week and Iszac said he was just focused on that.
"I just want to get back into round one this week and put in good performances for the Bears first," he said.
"Everything will just take its course and if I’m playing consistently then hopefully I will get my chance after round 11.
"I could replace one of the boys (maybe Tino) at Origin time but I still have a lot of hard work to do with the Bears before we get to that stage.
"Now it’s just about playing my role for the Bears.
"The NRL is a is a big step, so I think I can continue doing well with the Bears, I think as a coach he (Holbrook) will see that and then make a decision on whether he wants to pick me."
Iszac will continue to do his best for the Bears, hoping that steady performances will get him noticed.
Until then his dream of playing alongside big brother will go on, something that will be a major milestone for the Fa’asuamaleaui family.
"I haven’t really spoken to mum and dad about it because I haven’t made my debut yet," Iszac said.
"But if and when it happens, I think they will be very proud of us.
"We’re training together full time. I haven’t achieved my dream of making my NRL debut yet but we’re kind of living our dream every day.
"It’s what we have wanted since we were little kids, so fingers crossed the dreams will come true later this year."
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