NRL 2024: Tonga coach Kristian Woolf declares Latu Fainu as Jarome Luai’s long-term Wests Tigers halves partner

Benji Marshall faces a crucial decision as the impending arrival of Jarome Luai creates a halves logjam at the Wests Tigers and leaves the club spoiled for choice.

Latu Fainu. Picture: NRL

Tongan coach Kristian Woolf has declared Wests Tigers teenage prodigy Latu Fainu ready to play NRL next season and revealed why he shapes as Jarome Luai’s ideal long-term halves partner.

Before he had even made his NRL debut, Woolf blooded Fainu in the Test arena in last month’s series against England and gave a stunning endorsement from the Dolphins’ coach-in-waiting that should have long suffering Tigers faithful counting down the days to the 2024 season kick-off.

While cautious not to heap too much pressure on the tremendously talented 18-year-old, Woolf said of Fainu: “If he can step into an international game and hold his own then he can step into an NRL game and hold his own.”

Woolf also nominated five-eighth as Fainu’s best position, which would fit perfectly alongside Luai, who is expected to take on the chief playmaking responsibilities when he arrives at the Tigers in 2025.

Tigers five-eighth Latu Fainu picture: NRL Photos

“I think he (Fainu) is a six,” Woolf said.

“Just his skillset. He has got a good kicking game. He has a good passing game. He is confident. He reads the game well. I think he is going to fit in well as a six.”

With the three-time Panthers premiership winner Luai expected to accept a lucrative five-year, $6 million deal to join the Tigers, it sets up an intriguing battle to see which way Benji Marshall goes when choosing who plays five-eighth next season.

Veteran halfback Aidan Sezer was brought back from England on a one-year deal to add experience following Luke Brooks’ Manly exit.

But that’s likely to leave Fainu challenging fellow recruit and former Dragon Jayden Sullivan and gun junior Lachlan Galvin for the No.6 spot.

Galvin was the Australian Schoolboys five-eighth and captain this year, although his long-term future could be in the back row.

Tigers players are competing to be Jarome Luai’s halves partner. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The other option is Adam Doueihi, depending on when the off-contract star is fit to return from his latest ACL knee injury.

While there’s been plenty of debate about whether Marshall would be taking too big a risk blooding either Fainu or Galvin at such a young age, Woolf gave Fainu a glowing recommendation.

“I do think he is ready for NRL from everything I saw over there,” Woolf said.

“I certainly don’t want to be putting pressure on the kid.

“He is young. He has got a lot to learn. He has got a lot of hard work ahead of him.

“But he is physically equipped, and he showed that in everything he did overseas, both in training and certainly when he played.

“I probably came away from that series wishing I had played him a little bit more, to be honest, because I thought in the last game he made a real impact.

“We were playing him out of position at hooker where he hasn’t played before and he was physical, he showed he wanted to compete, he showed he had real footy smarts.

“And whenever we did opposed-type work at training he really challenged our defence. So he has a lot of potential, even though he has still got a lot to learn.”

Benji Marshall watches young guns Lachlan Galvin (right) and Will Craig at pre-season training. Picture: Wests Tigers

Woolf also spoke about how well Fainu fitted in among the playing group.

“The environment there can be one that those young guys come into and be fairly comfortable fairly quick,” Woolf said.

“You certainly have a group of older blokes who look after the young blokes and make sure that is the case.

“He is very close with a number of guys there, particularly Addin Fonua-Blake, who is our captain.

“So (Addin) took him under his wing a fair bit.”

Woolf also said there are similarities to Fainu and Dolphins young gun Isaiya Katoa, who exploded onto in 2023.

“I see him a little bit similar I suppose as to where Isaiya was 12 months ago,” Woolf added.

“We sort of brought him into camp thinking it was more than likely going to be a good experience for him footy-wise and for us to get to know a little bit about him. And for him to know a bit about our environment more going forward.

Former Dragon Jayden Sullivan. Picture: Wests Tigers

“But when he got into camp he showed us both with the way he carried himself around camp and his maturity but also what he did on the field that he was ready to play and earnt that opportunity to get a run.

“Like all young guys he has a lot to learn. He is going to get better defensively. He is going to get better physically and fitness-wise. He is going to have to do the consistency of it which is the toughest thing.

“And the Tigers will work that out as to how much he plays.

“But he has certainly got the potential to say that if he can step into an international game and hold his own that he can step into an NRL game and hold his own.”

Originally published as NRL 2024: Tonga coach Kristian Woolf declares Latu Fainu as Jarome Luai’s long-term Wests Tigers halves partner