Latu Fifita goes from wild child to brink of NRL with Cowboys

KANGAROOS enforcer Andrew Fifita was so inspired by his older brother Latu he named his first son after him.

Northern Pride's Latu Fifita.

KANGAROOS enforcer Andrew Fifita was so inspired by his older brother Latu he named his first son after him.

Now Latu Snr is using his not-so-little brother’s incredible rise as motivation to force his way into the North Queensland side after signing with the Northern Pride.

The Cowboys are likely to need Latu, a softly spoken reformed wild child, for the State of Origin period when they will potentially lose three forwards for each game.

Eighteen months older than Andrew and his twin David, who both play for Cronulla, Latu is a burly prop who has finally committed to cracking the NRL.

He is cut from the same imposing timber as his younger brother, standing 191cm and weighing 115kg.

The biggest difference is Latu, 26, has not taken his football career seriously until now.

Watching his little brother dominate the NRL, his debut State of Origin series and the World Cup last season made Latu realise he too could become an NRL success.

“It put me back on track, seeing him go so well,” Latu said.

Andrew Fifita with his son Latu Jay.

“I had some opportunities earlier in my career but I went off the rails. “I was just hanging with the wrong people.

“When I saw Andrew play his first NRL game it made me want to cry. Seeing him accomplish so much was inspiring because I know we are similar players.’’

Latu struggled to put the honour of Andrew’s son carrying his name into words.

Andrew said it was a show of respect for how Latu helped cared for the twins during their parent’s divorce.

“My mum and dad divorced when I was six and my brother was the one there for us, so I named my boy after him,’’ Fifita said last year.

A Balmain junior, Latu was once picked for the Wests Tigers SG Ball side after dominating a trial game only to try to back out because he simply was not interested.

His attitude is now far removed from those teenage years. He has a young daughter to care for and his partner is pregnant again.

His dream of playing alongside his two brothers has morphed into a desire to clash against them in an NRL game this season.

“To play against those two, me versus them, would be a dream come true,” Latu said.

“We bring the best out of each other as we are very competitive. We expect a lot from each other. We are our harshest critics.

“All three of us text each other all the time. Andrew always texts me before games to give me advice and I will text him after his games.

“My goal is to play well enough for the Pride that the Cowboys become interested in me, hopefully around Origin time when they have a few short there. This is a great opportunity for me.’’

Latu, who played for North Sydney last season, said the Fifita brothers would go to another level if all three became NRL regulars.

He declared David, yet to debut in first grade, was the best player in the family while Andrew had not reached anything close to his potential.

“To tell you the truth, David is the better player. I can’t wait for David to get on the scene,’’ Latu said. “He has a fend that just flips anyone on their head.

“Andrew’s already made it but he’s still yet to play his best game.’’