It is the school which produced Alfie Langer, now another Ipswich SHS student is NRL bound
An exciting schoolboy backrow prospect whose top speed rivals those of the NRL’s quickest players has been snapped up by the Penrith Panthers on a two-year deal after starring in the Langer Cup.
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It is the school which produced league great Alfie Langer, now another Ipswich SHS player is NRL bound.
The Penrith Panthers have signed exciting second rower Ativalu Lisati to a two-year contract.
Lisati was plucked out of the giant-killing Ipswich SHS side which stormed through to finish second in the elite Langer Cup competition this season.
He first came notice with a burst of speed of 36.83kph chasing Keebra Park SHS speedster Reece Walsh. Melbourne Storm flyer Josh Addo-Carr is the only NRL player to record faster speeds this season.
But there is much more to Lisati than being a pacy, wide running second rower.
Ipswich SHS head coach Joshua Bretherton said Lisati was reliable in every aspect of training on and off the paddock and absorbed new information.
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“He has worked so hard since he got here,’’ Bretherton said.
“He has been an absolute pleasure to coach and try and help
“Valu is constantly trying to push himself to be better because he has worked so hard.
“It makes all of us very proud for him and his family.
“We think because of that work ethic, he has great potential and will continue to improve.
“He is not a kid who will waste that opportunity.
“He is a lovely kid, very humble which is a great characteristic to be successful over the next couple of years.’’
Lisati arrived at Ipswich SHS at the start of the school year from New Zealand to live with his brother and further his rugby league career.
Snaring the deal with Penrith is a reward for his brave move away from his comfort zone in New Zealand.
“It is one of biggest sacrifices I have had to make,’’ Lisati said.
“Since I have been here, my job was to make the most of those sacrifices.
“Since I was a kid I wanted to pursue rugby league as a dream of mine.
“To get that from Penrith was very exciting. I was very happy.
“I am looking forward to going to the next level and seeing what I can do at Penrith.’’
Lisati praised his coaches and teammates for helping bring the best out in him.
He said their dedication and commitment at training lifted him.
“That is what makes me want to try harder, seeing the boys coming to training, putting in maximum effort. That drives me to train at my best.
“It was a great environment, something I have never experienced in my life before.
“They taught me a lot, things I had not learnt and even things I knew, they helped me improve in specific areas.
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“This has been a top quality rugby league program,’’ he said.
Around the likes of Lisati, centre Bill Gase, Elone Tafua and outside back Jarra Briggs, Ipswich SHS assembled an outstanding team who richly deserved second placing in the Langer Cup this season ahead of heavy weights like Marsden SHS and Wavell SHS.