Fifita ready to 'rip and tear' for Ipswich in Q Cup
Dropped Gold Coast back-rower David Fifita will return to his home city of Ipswich to play in the Queensland Cup and is ready to run 250m, offload at will and have fun.
Fifita will play for the Ipswich Jets against Northern Pride on Sunday after Titans coach Des Hasler dropped him for the NRL clash with Canterbury after the 50-18 capitulation to North Queensland.
He will be player No.700 to line up for the famous Jets in what will be a homecoming after he grew up in Ipswich.
Fifita got through the team's captain's run at North Ipswich Reserve on Saturday.
Jets chairman Steve Johnson said the Maroons star was itching to carve up and do the jersey proud in the home Ipswich clash.
"David is an Ipswich lad," Johnson told AAP.
"He played junior football at Redbank Bears in under-13s and in rep sides before the Broncos moved him to Souths Acacia Ridge, and he never got to play for Ipswich after that."This will be his (fifth) game in Cup. His second game in 2018 was for Souths-Logan against us and he tore us apart as an 18-year-old kid, and then a few weeks later Wayne Bennett put him straight into the Broncos side in the NRL, and he has been there ever since. "David has taken it extraordinarily well. He was always going to. He and I have a long relationship, and when he rang yesterday he was excited to get back."
The Jets have also set Fifita a task of sorts while playing him in his favourite position.
"I have challenged him to run 250m tomorrow, and we jokingly told the other back-rowers to make 60 tackles each so Dave can run the ball. He just needs to clear his head and enjoy it," Johnson said.
"We are playing him on the left side, whereas Des has been playing him on the right. His natural side is left, so he is back where his off-loads work. He is ready to rip in."
Current Broncos playmaker Ben Hunt was famously dropped by Bennett in 2017 and went back to the Jets and played a starring role in a 44-24 win over Norths.
Former coaches Ben and Shane Walker told him to go out and gave fun and play his natural game. He was selected in the Maroons side weeks later and won back his Broncos jersey.
"One of the common facts of rugby league is that two players to go from Queensland Cup to State of Origin are Ipswich Jets halfbacks - Allan Langer in 1987 and Ben Hunt in 2017," Johnson said.
"Ben played great for us and then played Origin.
"He came back and enjoyed himself, and that has been our conversation with David. He is here to have fun and play footy. He is excited to be wearing the jersey and to be Ipswich Jet number 700."
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