Fainu '100 per cent' behind coach's halfback plan
Fainu had been earmarked as the Tigers' long-term halfback now that Lachlan Galvin has left for Canterbury, but found his minutes curtailed in recent weeks by coach Marshall.
In the round-21 loss to Penrith, Marshall benched Fainu in the second half and did not use him again, and then started him from the interchange in the shock defeat of Galvin's Bulldogs.
Off-contract utility Adam Doueihi was shifted to halfback on game day against the Bulldogs and was the Tigers' best player in the 28-14 win.
Marshall, himself a former halves prodigy, has defended taking a slow-and-steady approach to developing Fainu, who is only 19 games into his first-grade career.
"I'll make a decision each week that I think's best for the team," the coach said of his halves combination going forward.
"Long-term (Fainu) will develop and understand that position and be better at it, but we're definitely not in a rush with him, that's for sure."
Marshall has used Fainu as a lightweight middle forward at times in his first two NRL seasons, with the 20-year-old honing his utility value during his time in Manly's junior system.
Fainu said he was happy coming on from the bench and playing second fiddle to the in-form Doueihi if that's what Marshall required.
"A hundred per cent, whatever the team needs," Fainu told AAP.
"I can play anywhere, I've been playing my whole juniors in different types of positions. I'm comfortable doing whatever the team needs."
Fainu has shown promise in an injury-hampered second NRL season, enjoying a career-best game in the shock defeat of the Sydney Roosters
Hamstring and thumb injuries have combined to restrict him to only 10 of a possible 20 games, though, with Fainu comfortable playing the long game to become a regular NRL halfback.
"I'm just building minutes into my game, just building confidence," he said.
"I had a lot of injuries, so the main priority is just building confidence into me."
Watch all the highlights as the Wests Tigers take on the Bulldogs in Round 22! 🎥 pic.twitter.com/pXkIemtt9q
— NRL (@NRL) August 3, 2025
Fainu is confident the Tigers are turning a corner after three consecutive wooden spoons, with Sunday's win likely precluding them from "winning" the dreaded prize in four straight seasons.
With four games to go in the regular season, this year's Tigers have already won as many games as in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns combined.
"We're building something great," Fainu said.
"There are circumstances of people leaving, but at the end of the day we're still building, we're still getting better each and every single day. We're just improving."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stokes: I'm looking forward to getting to Australia
For months, England captain Ben Stokes has avoided talking about the Ashes in Australia as much as possible. But after a Test match - and series - for the ages against India, even he is prepared to mention it and firmly believes his side are battle hardened after the draining series that finished in a chaotic defeat at The Oval on Monday. More than 7000 runs were scored in the five Tests, but just when England were in need of fewer than 50 runs for the final five wickets, they lost. The last time that happened to them in a fourth innings while chasing victory was in 1902, against Australia at Old Trafford Stokes was England's most effective bowler in the series but exhausted himself into a shoulder injury that forced him to miss The Oval. Stokes praised his seam attack - deprived of himself, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes, who came out to bat with a dislocated shoulder but did not have to face - for running India so close in the six-run defeat that squared a superb series. "When one of your bowlers goes down so early in the game, the role of the other seamers changes," Stokes said. A stunning end to the five-Test series as India clinch the thriller at The Oval 👏#WTC27 #ENGvIND 📝: — ICC (@ICC) August 4, 2025 "Even in the second innings, the heart and desire they showed was amazing. There were many what-ifs in the last five days, makes the game great, but all (coach) Brendon (McCullum) and I asked was to give it everything. (Josh) Tongue, (Gus) Atkinson and (Jamie) Overton showed it. "The way in which we've been able to perform throughout the series, I'm looking forward to getting to Australia and doing what we want to go out there and do." England and India both wasted earlier chances to win the fifth Test but after India took the final four wickets in a hectic 57 minutes of play on the final morning, Stokes accepted the conclusion was deserved. "The series as a whole has been pretty much toe-to-toe for 25 days. From a cricket fan's point of view, 2-2 is probably fair," he said. "Two very good teams who have thrown everything at each other and left everything out there. We obviously would have loved to get a series win but it wasn't meant to be. "We're bitterly disappointed we couldn't get over the line but it was another hard-fought game and both teams put so much energy and effort into the series, it's been an amazing one to be part of. "There's a little bit of frustration there as well but as a massive advocate of this format and for Test cricket as a whole, this has certainly been one of those series that could hopefully keep off the narrative around 'Test cricket is dying'." Stokes said he was looking forward to being well rested for the first Ashes test against Australia, in Perth, on November 21, but if he is fit, there are serious questions over who will join him in England's attack. Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have both missed more Tests than they have played in recent years and the chances of Woakes being fit to bowl in less than four months must be remote. England have not won a Test in Australia since 2011, something David Warner will doubtless be reminding them of during his stint playing for London Spirit in The Hundred over the next few weeks. With agencies
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
British and Irish Lions end-of-tour awards
The British and Irish Lions defeated Australia 2-1 to win their first Test series since 2013. It may not have been one of the all-time classic Lions tours but it did deliver controversy, big moments and a second Test for the ages. The Lions played nine tour games, won eight and lost the final match to deny Andy Farrell's side a first series whitewash by the tourists since 1927. Our team in Australia - Chris Jones, Tom English, Lauren Jenkins and Nigel Ringland - dissect the tour on the latest Rugby Union Weekly episode and give out their end-of-tour awards. Player of the tour NR: "Dan Sheehan. He is possibly the best hooker in the world and has only enhanced that reputation. "He set the tone in his first game and captained the side. If he continues on an upward curve with Leinster and Ireland then he could be a potential captain in 2029. At hooker he was way ahead of his competition." TE: "Tadhg Beirne. Played 80, 80, 80 in the Test-match series. Hugely influential right from 16 seconds in. Tom Curry makes a tackle on James Slipper and he is in for the turnover. "I love to see players doubted and then coming through. That is the epitome of greatness. He hit greatness on this tour." CJ: "Tadhg Beirne for me." LJ: "Maro Itoje is up there. His durability and aura as a captain. The third Test was the first time he didn't finish a Test since 2022 against Australia. "You wouldn't put it past him doing it again in four years time. Nine Lions Tests under his belt." Lions player ratings - the incredible, the unlucky & the poor Listen: The big Lions debrief in Sydney 'A strange kind of glory' as legacy-defining win eludes Lions Best moment of the 2025 Lions tour? TE: "For sure, 90,000 people at the MCG, dramatic, the comeback, the controversy of the clearout. We will be talking about that the next time we are in Australia, but there were moments on this trip. "The Owen Farrell call-up too came at the stage when the tour was meandering along and the Lions were beating everyone. A bit of a yawn fest. "He then appears and it is amazing. When he gets out of bed in the morning people are not happy." LJ: "The two tries in four minutes before half-time in Melbourne changed the game. From 23-5 to 23-17, when reflecting on the tour you might not think about it but it was huge." CJ: "When Tom Curry cut James Slipper in half that was a big 'I am' moment. After lots of chat about whether he should play the first Test." NR: "It was the last play of the game in Melbourne. All the controversy and announcing no foul play in the build-up. "It was so well-worked, and so much composure as to where the players needed to be in that moment on the pitch." Performance of the series LJ: "The First Nations and Pasifika XV. That was the performance of the series and the game that it felt like everyone was waiting for. They could have snatched it at the end. I left that stadium with a spring in my step." CJ: "The Wallabies in the third Test after people talking about where Australian rugby is. All the greats of Wallaby rugby saying they can't lose 3-0. They went out and did a job on the Lions." TE: "The first half of Test one." NR: "I am going to cheat a little and go the first half of the first Test and the second half of the second Test. Put those two together. "Those last few minutes in Melbourne is what we will take away." Farrell in 'really good place' to lead Lions again Lions star Aki's baby born in car before first Test Individual performance TE: "It is hard to look past Tom Curry in the first Test or Tadhg Beirne in the first and third Tests." LJ: "Waratahs flanker Charlie Gamble was brilliant. Man of the match in that loss for First Nations Pasifika XV and he was brilliant for the Waratahs." CJ: "Rob Valetini's 40 minutes in Melbourne and Taniela Tupou in the third Test. My player of the tour from an Aussie point of view is Will Skelton, as when he was on the pitch Australia won the series by 14 points. I know that doesn't matter but it shows how amazing he was." Try of the tour CJ: "Tom Wright's try in Melbourne. Joseph Suaalii sees the space and you go 'there is the two million buck man' - that's why they paid the big dosh to get him out of the NRL. "It lifted the stadium and you felt in a special sporting occasion." TE: "It [Wright's try] electrified the stadium, in that moment you felt 'there is the guy [Suaalii]'." LJ: "Finn Russell's miracle pass to Sione Tuipulotu in the first Test. First Scot to score a Test try since Alan Tait in 1997." And a word on the Welshman... LJ: "Jac Morgan comes away with his reputation enhanced. You expect good players to go on Lions tours and perform but that doesn't always happen. As the sole Welshman you knew he was good but he has now done it at the top level. "He hasn't had a Welsh coach fighting his corner or the familiarity of the Leinster or Ireland players around him. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here, as he will return a better player. "I had him down as a homeboy but this tour would have opened his eyes. Maybe he will think he can go and thrive in different environments." TE: "He is class. You possibly have to go back to Brian O'Driscoll in 2001, the whole waltzing O'Driscoll stuff, when he broke on to the international scene, to find a Lions cult figure like Jac Morgan. "Everyone adopted Morgan. It didn't matter where you were from from, you were willing him on. "He was a huge tourist and brilliant in the way he played." Combined starting XV Four Australia players have made the chosen combined starting XV. It includes Rob Valetini, who played only 40 minutes of rugby across the Test series, and lock Will Skelton, who missed the first Test. Dylan Pietsch was not selected for the first two Tests but impressed in Sydney to earn a spot on the wing. Combined starting XV: Keenan; Jorgensen, Jones, Tuipulotu, Pietsch; Russell, Gibson-Park; Genge, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, Skelton, Curry, Beirne, Valetini. Australia players in bold Get the latest updates from the Lions tour Wales stars must 'want a piece of Lions action'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brian Daboll bonding with Tom Coughlin is a good sign for the New York Giants
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll escaped with his job this past winter after two seasons that saw his club go 9-25. He knew he had to make some changes. With the help of general manager Joe Schoen and his staff, Daboll realized he had to stop being so controlling and quit micromanaging. He has also taken to seeking counsel from his many mentors and alliances in the business. One such source has been former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, a two-time Super Bowl winner who knows what it takes to win in New York. Coughlin was in attendance at several practices last week and regaled the team with a rousing, inspiring address. "It's good to get a set of eyes here of someone that's done it for a long time and lean on a little bit," Daboll told the crew at NFL Network, per "But a great appreciation and respect for Coach Coughlin. I think our players feel the same way with him and a lot of the older guys that have come back and talked to them about what it means to be a New York Giant." Daboll admitted that he and Coughlin have been bonding more of late. It does take a village to win in this league, and Daboll is finally realizing he can't do it all alone. "He's someone that I talk to often, lean on, get advice from," Daboll said. "He's just a good resource. He's done this for a long time. He comes from a great coaching tree, and he's been very successful as a head coach with this organization. He knows what it takes." That coaching tree Daboll is referring to is the one he is also from - the Bill Parcells coaching tree. You know the one that brags such names as Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Mike Zimmer, Todd Bowles, and Aaron Glenn. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Brian Daboll bonding with Tom Coughlin is a good sign for the Giants
