Scott Sattler’s sledge has David Fifita ready to rage against Manly

In one power-packed play in round five David Fifita reminded everyone of what he was capable, now he has been challeneged to hit the repeat button.

Maligned Titans forward David Fifita has hit back at critic Scott Sattler, declaring he will prove the NRL premiership hero wrong after being labelled one of the Gold Coast’s “worst players” this year.

Fifita is fired up and ready to rage against Manly at 4 Pines Park on Saturday following stinging criticism from Penrith’s 2003 grand final champion Sattler, the Titans’ foundation football manager.

Sattler, on SEN Radio, was scathing of Fifita’s efforts throughout the opening five rounds of the season, which has only netted one try compared to six at the same time last year.

Sattler said Titans coach Justin Holbrook should consider sending Fifita to the bench if he doesn’t improve his output and stood by the comments when quizzed again.

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David Fifita scored six tries in the opening five rounds last year, but has only crossed once in 2022. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

“I was very disappointed with his game (against Parramatta), outside of the 50m try which only very special athletes can do,” Sattler said.

“He has been one of the least effective and worst players for the Titans this year. Statistics don’t tell you everything about a player’s game but I think his output is really disappointing.

“If he doesn’t quickly pull his finger out I’d be having a really tough conversation about if he starts on the bench.

“In those first 65 minutes of the game he could create such a great platform for his side with his power running and involvement.

“He doesn’t have to sit on the same side of the field. He’s got the ability to single-handedly control the intensity of a game. If he gets involved really early, and has a really good combination with his young halves, he could do that for the Titans.

“I’ll be the first to put my hand up and admire the work he does when he starts having that great output.”

Scott Sattler with his nephew and Fifita’s good mate, Blake Scott. Picture Glenn Hampson

Sattler isn’t the only former player to critique Fifita’s performances this season.

Maroons and Kangaroos legend Cameron Smith, the NRL’s most decorated player of all-time, put a rocket up Fifita last month, declaring he wasn’t living up to his $3.5 million price tag.

But Sattler’s criticism appeared to hit a nerve with Fifita, who is close friend’s with Sattler’s nephew and fellow Keebra Park product Blake Scott.

“He can say whatever he wants to say,” Fifita said when asked about Sattler’s comments.

“I’m really close with Blake Scott, that’s his uncle. For him to say those kinds of words…I’ll take it on the chin and prove him wrong.”

Fifita had a solid game against the Eels. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Fifita’s performance in last weekend’s 26-20 loss to Parramatta was arguably his best of the season.

He made the most runs (15) and metres (119) of the Gold Coast’s beaten forwards, contributed with 27 tackles and scored a scintillating try to give the Titans a sniff of victory.

Rookie halfback Toby Sexton has struggled to get Fifita involved in games and the backrower said he wanted to increase his output as the Titans look to get their finals quest on track following a 2-3 start to the season.

“He (Sexton) is still young, the longer we’re out there together the better we’re going to be in the future,” Fifita said.

“I’ve got to adjust, get smart ball and go looking for the ball.

“Every game is hard in the NRL. Everyone gets targeted.

“It’s a bit of both – combinations and myself. I need to demand the ball more and get involved more.

“I think I’m doing enough, getting my runs. I need to keep working hard.”

NRL SUPERCOACH ROUND 5 WRAP: HIGH, LOWS AND TRADE TARGETS

The Sharks are in a feeding frenzy of KFC SuperCoach points and Nicho Hynes is the Great White gobbling the bulk of them up. With five games and three centuries, he’s the defining player of the KFC SuperCoach season so far.

It’s his running game that makes the difference with no other halfback close to matching his numbers taking the line on. He’s had 77 points from hit-ups this season which inevitably lead to tackle busts and offloads. He’s also not shy of the dirty work getting through 103 tackles among the top in the position.

The scary thing is, he’s leading the errors and missed goals charts too at halfback, so how much bigger could these scores be? He’ll face a tougher test against his former team the Storm this week but you’d be brave to back against him.

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At the other end of the scale, Kieran Foran’s 0 in 80 minutes, caught the eye for all the wrong reasons. We’ve seen plenty of players sent off — Herman Ese’ese -11 at Magic Round last year — or have shockers off the bench. Trent Hodkinson’s -12 is the worst ever SuperCoach score ever, but to come up with nothing to show for a full game is a special effort.

Nicho Hynes is the Great White Shark of KFC SuperCoach (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

It’s been done a few times before with Foran, joining an illustrious list of zero heroes including Chris Sandow, Ben Barba, Brett Stewart, Jarrod Croker and Will Smith.

Back to the highs and it was players on the end of early season trade rage who punished the KFC SuperCoaches who cast them aside.

David Fifita, 107 and Kotoni Staggs, 108, both sprung to life with big scores after their ownership plummeted. Staggs went from 39% in Round 1 to 17% in Round 5. I suspect his ownership goes back up again after watching him terrorise the Roosters for 14 tackle busts. The other players to crack a century were Jesse Ramien, Joey Manu and Corey Oates.

Knights 6-30 Sea Eagles

Highs: Haumole Olakau’atu, 83, had 53 in base stats along with a try, linebreak and four tackle busts. Karl Lawton, 71, scored a try and set up another in his 37 minutes on the field. He’s a weapon when he gets the minutes averaging 60+ when he had a run in the starting team last year. Dylan Walker, 65, had two try assists and 39 in base stats. Andrew Davey, 65, had a try and linebreak in 59 minutes on the left edge. He went off for a HIA just after half time. A sub-$300k 80-minute backrower would usually be worth a look but Josh Schuster should return soon to take that spot. Daly Cherry-Evans, 69, hasn’t scored below 60 this season and you’d think while Tom Trbojevic is out he’ll step up even more in attack. His kicking game delivered again with a try assist and two forced dropouts.

Lows: This injury-riddled game saw Jirah Momoisea, 3, go off after 5 minutes; Dominic Young, 6, last just 20 minutes; Martin Taupau, 29, not return after 22 minutes. No such excuses for Kieran Foran, 0, and Jason Saab, 5, who played the full 80 minutes. Kalyn Ponga, 41, missed 11 minutes for a HIA before halftime. A worryingly low score considering he had a try and linebreak. He’s averaging 32 in his first three games of 2022. A far cry from his highs of 80PPG in 2020. Dane Gagai, 35, had his first poor game of the season. He moved to the wing to cover Young and Manly’s kicking game effectively took him out of the game. He had 12 runs but 11 of them were under 8m.

Watchlist: Brodie Jones, 47, was shuffled to the centres after Young’s injury and had three tackle busts and the rest base stats in 80 minutes. He’s a trade target for many SuperCoaches this week at $275k and he should make $150k+ while the likes of Mitch Barnett and Lachlan Fitzgibbon are out of action. Chris Randall, 45, should have had a try but knocked on when diving on the ball. As it stands, the fifth most owned player should peak in price ahead of a Round 8 clash with Melbourne — a perfect time to sell. Christian Tuipulotu, 27, had 18 points from hit-ups and five tackle busts. Not a bad showing for the cheapie Sea Eagles winger in the conditions.

Warriors 25-24 Cowboys

Highs: Euain Aitken, 94, had 59 in base stats and finally delivered some big attacking stats with five tackle busts, a try and a linebreak. Scott Drinkwater, 94, played his first game of the season filling in for the injured Hamiso Tabui-Fidow and was heavily involved in the Cowboys attack with a try, try assist, seven tackle busts, two offloads, a linebreak, linebreak assist and 29 points from hit-ups. Josh Curran, 92, moved back into the middle after playing on the edge last week and got through a mountain of work with 64 in base stats topped with a try and linebreak. Jesse Arthars, 80, is reaping the benefits of playing outside Shaun Johnson, scoring a try for the second week in a row and seeing a $92k price rise. He had two linebreaks, seven tackle busts and 31 in base stats before leaving the field for a HIA with five minutes to go. Valentine Holmes, 75, had a try, linebreak, four tackle busts and kicked 4/6 goals but had just 25 in base stats. Reuben Cotter, 71, had 53 in base stats, four tackle busts and a linebreak in just 49 minutes. I traded him in this week and love what I’ve seen from him so far.

Lows: Shaun Johnson, 34, produced the match winning field goal but also had five errors. Jeremiah Nanai, 30, missed six tackles and you can probably sell him after a $113k price rise. Griffin Neame, 20, played just 21 minutes after failing a HIA. Edward Kosi, 19, is cheap but his output and job security aren’t great.

Watchlist: Jason Taumalolo, 63, now has dual FRF status and is punching out some solid scores with 52 in base, five tackle busts and an offload. Tom Dearden, 64, scored a try to continue his stunning form helping his price rise by more than $200k.

Broncos 20-24 Roosters

Highs: Kotoni Staggs, 108, finally sprung to life with a try, two linebreaks, 14 tackle busts and 40 in base stats. Joey Manu, 104, barged over from close range twice and had seven tackle busts to make it five tries in three weeks. Corey Oates, 102, scored three tries, one linebreak and had 37 in base stats. Buyer beware, he posted scores of 19 and 25 the weeks prior. Sam Walker 87, was in the thick of the action for the Roosters with a try, linebreak, try assist, 3/3 goals and just two missed tackles. Payne Haas, 74, was all base stats with a couple tackle busts and offloads. Suspended for one week for his scuffle with Albert Kelly. Will be interesting to see if his 62% of ownership drops.

Lows: James Tedesco, 28, and Luke Keary, 14, didn’t register a big attacking stat between them looking very clunky. Paul Momirovski, 18, had 11 missed tackles. Kurt Capewell, 31 had just 3 hit-ups in 80 minutes.

Watchlist: Angus Crichton, 61, had more minutes than the 35 off the bench the two weeks prior after Nat Butcher failed a HIA early in the second half. His price is bottoming out but you’ll want to see a return to big minutes before you buy. Selwyn Cobbo, 49, had a linebreak and four tackle busts. He’s lost $40k so far but wouldn’t surprise me if he has a trajectory similar to Jason Saab or Charlie Staines last year. Be patient and wait for the inevitable run of tries to come. Kobe Hetherington, 35, started at lock but played just 41 minutes. Billy Walters, 31, started at five eighth but didn’t have any attacking stats. He’s a dual 5/8th and hooker so could a downgrade option in coming weeks.

Raiders 16-30 Storm

Highs: Jahrome Hughes, 91, had two tries, two linebreaks and seven tackle busts. Cameron Munster, 84, bounced back after just 33 points last week with two try assists, four tackle busts, a linebreak and linebreak assist. Harry Grant, 79, had a try, linebreak six tackle busts and 40 in base stats in 69 minutes. Semi Valemei, 77, scored his third try of the season and has quietly risen by $80k with more rises to come.

Lows: Matt Timoko, 11, played just 40 minutes before going off injured. Storm wingers Xavier Coates, 15, and Nick Meaney, 15, didn’t see a lot of ball. Brandon Smith, 21, played just 35 minutes coming off the bench. Ryan Papenhyzen, 39, missed out on all the attacking points after scoring 193 last week. He went off for a HIA just before half time had just seven points from hit-ups with a try and 5/5 goals keeping his score from a total disaster.

Watchlist: Josh King, 69, played 68 minutes for 47 in base stats and picked up attacking stats again with a try and linebreak assist helping push his price up $199k and rising. Tom Starling, 58, played the full 80 minutes for the first time this season and had 45 in base stats, a linebreak and four tackle busts. Brad Schneider, 65, had 38 in base stats, impressive for a halfback, kicked 4/4 goals had three tackle busts and a forced dropout. He’s worth picking as a reserve most weeks.

Rabbitohs 24-12 Dragons

Highs: Keaon Koloamatangi, 98, had his standard 49 in base stats and added a stack of attacking stats with a try, linebreak, try assist, linebreak assist, two tackle busts and an offload. At under 3% owned he could be the best buy into the Rabbitohs good fixture run over the next two months. Damien Cook, 85, had 53 in base stats, a try assist, linebreak and six tackle busts and is leading the scoring in the hooker position. Taane Milne, 80, had 45 in base stats, a try, linebreak and a couple offloads. Jaydn Su’A, 78, had six tackle busts most of them bumping off Cody Walker, a try, linebreak and 43 in base stats. His price hasn’t moved much thanks to being sin-binned the two weeks prior. Campbell Graham, 74, scored his third try of the season and is worth a look with a very reliable base of 40PPG to work from and 3% ownership.

Lows: Ben Hunt, 9, had two errors and penalties conceded. Cody Walker, 10, missed six tackles and had two hit-ups for the game. He’s completely out of sorts with a five-round average of 32.8PPG putting him last of all the regular starters in the position. Latrell Mitchell, 22, scored a try before he injured a hamstring and should be set for some price drops when he returns with that score in his average. Blake Taaffe now looms as a cheapie option but hardly a lock-in. It’s tough to find a spot for him at halfback or fullback with Schneider going strong and fullback a stacked position. Alex Johnston, 23, naturally scores low if the service from Walker isn’t there.

Watchlist: Mat Feagai, 76, had eight tackle busts and two linebreaks in his second game of the season. Davvy Moale, 19, had 27 minutes but not much impact conceding two penalties. A cheapie you can watch for another week. Blake Taaffe, 39, played 66 minutes in his first game of the season and kicked 4/4 goals. Mitchell’s injury gives Taaffe a run at fullback so he could be worth picking up given his price ($210k), dual FLB/HFB status and the fixtures but where do you fit him in? Zac Lomax, 62, had 44 in base stats, a linebreak and four tackle busts. He’s bubbling away with a 60PPG average but has only one try to his name so far. Jai Arrow, 67, had 50 in base stats and a sprinkling of attacking stats in 59 minutes. Talatau Amone, 31, was the most sold player last week and played 24 minutes off the bench as hooker again.

Titans 20-26 Eels

Highs: David Fifita, 107, had 48 in base stats, two offloads two linebreak assists, and with one explosive run scored his first try of the season, a linebreak and stack of tackle busts. His price should level out here after dropping 12% of owners and $60k in value. Clint Gutherson, 97, scored two tries, had six tackle busts, a linebreak, forced dropout, offloads and 32 in base stats. Mitchell Moses, 90, had three try assists, 3/5 goals, four tackle busts, a linebreak and linebreak assist. He’s risen in value by $143k and could easily go up another $100k with the Tigers up next. Ryan Matterson, 86, played 80 minutes on the left edge for the second week in a row with Shaun Lane out injured. He produced 49 in base stats, four tackle busts, an offload, try and linebreak. A proven gun at 1% ownership has to be seriously looked at if he can hold on to that 80-minute edge role. Isaiah Papali’i, 80, had 60 in base stats, a try assist and linebreak assist. He and Payne Haas are sitting 15PPG clear of the pack in FRF after five rounds. A switch from Haas (if suspended) to Papali’i would cost you $70k but give another handy dual to work alongside popular duals Josh King, Taumalolo and Arrow.

Lows: Another left winger down for the Eels with Waqa Blake, 18, picking up a knee injury. They’re already missing Maika Sivo, Hayze Dunster and Sean Russell so keep your eyes on that spot come teamlists for a potential cheapie. Toby Sexton, 22, missed four tackles, and his price now looks like going backwards after a 29 last week.

Watchlist: Phillip Sami, 53, has scored five tries in four games. Impressive form but his base is a little underwhelming. Reed Mahoney, 37, has lost $80k in value and probably drops a chunk more if he’s going to play just 60 minutes with Mitch Rein coming off the bench. Nathan Brown, 60, was all base stats playing 80 minutes in the middle. Bailey Simonsson, 64, scored his first try of the season. Doesn’t see much ball on the right as evidenced by his average of 24 in the first four rounds. If he gets switched to the left he could be worth a look. Beau Fermor, 42, returned from missing a week with Covid and missed six tackles, delivering nothing on the attacking front. Dylan Brown, 56, has risen $214k, and was in the attack again with a try and try assist, though he conceded three penalties. With the Tigers up next he’s every chance to push that price even higher.

Sharks 30-4 Tigers

Highs: Nicho Hynes, 117, had his hand in everything for the Sharks and his stat sheet ticks off almost every category. He had a try assist, four try contributions, 3/6 goals, three tackle busts, three offloads, a forced dropout, two linebreak assists, a 40/20, and 41 in base stats. But it wasn’t perfect with the goalkicking misses and four errors holding him back from an even bigger score. Jesse Ramien, 115, had a try, try assist, six tackle busts, three offloads, two linebreaks and a linebreak assist. Sione Katoa combined fantastically with Ramien on the right and picked up two tries and two linebreaks along with six tackle busts and two offloads. Will Kennedy, 93, had a try, two try assists and two linebreak assists. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 87, on the left wing, had a try, three linebreaks and seven tackle busts.

Lows: Luke Brooks, 12, had 16 negative points across a bunch of stats. David Nofoaluma, 26, had five missed tackles while Jock Madden, 14, Oliver Gildart, 25, and Starford To’a, 21,missed four tackles each. Teig Wilton, 33, went off for a HIA and his price rises have been brought to a halt with this low score.

Watchlist: Cameron McInnes, 73, played 57 minutes getting extra time with Wilton’s HIA and had a try assist and linebreak. His priced should stabilise around this point now. Siosifa Talakai, 59, was one of the most popular buys of last week and while he missed out on the tries the 37 in base stats and six tackle busts guaranteeing one more big price rise beyond the $191k he’s already gone up. Blayke Brailey, 32, scored his first score below 50 of the year. Time to sell. Kelma Tuilagi, 38, missed 15 minutes for a HIA. The popular cheapie has looked promising but still hasn’t played out an 80 minute game. Luciano Leilua, 57, scoring solidly while the rest around him struggle.

Bulldogs 12-32 Panthers

Highs: Taylan May, 86, is the top averaging player of the season so far at 96.3PPG making owners $154k at his first price rise with plenty more to come. He had his sixth try in three games along with seven tackle busts, two offloads, a linebreak, linebreak assist and try contribution. Not too many other outstanding scores in this one with a number of forwards among the attacking stats including Tevita Pangai, 62, Liam Martin, 61, Isaah Yeo, 61, and Matt Eisenhuth, 61.

Lows: Matt Dufty, 6, made four errors and had just five hit-ups for the game. Brent Naden, 4, made two errors, missed two tackles and had 8 points from hit-ups against his former team. Charlie Staines, 15, dropped the ball with the line open and you have to think he’ll drop out of the team when To’o is back given May’s form. Jarome Luai, 30, had just two hit-ups and with Cleary back expect more games like this where he plays second fiddle. If you’re tempted to sell I’d definitely hold for the Broncos match this week.

Watchlist: Viliame Kikau, 40, you just have to cop these scores with him. It’s 40 one week 80 the next. Nathan Cleary, 57, has a break-even of 212 against the Broncos this week. Not impossible, but highly unlikely, this week he had 6/6 goals, a tackle bust and a try contribution on the attacking front. Expect Cleary to come down to about $800k in the next two weeks and plan accordingly if you want him in. Moses is probably the best way to get there. Max King, 52, had 46 in base stats and a couple offloads. He’s a solid reserve option and one to hold all the way through to the first bye round. If he keeps ticking over scores like this he’ll make you $250k along the way. Izack Tago, 46, scored below 50 for the first time this season. Don’t even think about selling. He’s a top five scorer in CTW and 2RF, wherever you’re playing him.