Latest news with #DavidFifita
News.com.au
10-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Unjustified': Legend urges Fifita to leave Titans as tensions boil over with feeder club in ugly saga
A rugby league legend has urged a David Fifita to depart the Titans while Gold Coast powerbrokers are reportedly infighting with their own feeder club the Ipswich Jets. That is according to Code Sports, who are reporting Titans powerbrokers contacted Jets powerbrokers to vent frustrations regarding their public support of the maligned backrower. Jets chief Steve Johnson also reportedly claimed Fifita was being played out of position by Gold Coast coach Des Hasler, adding fuel to the fire. Watch your team in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership. Stream every round LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play, on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. It comes after Fifita turned out for the Jets in Queensland Cup, having been dropped by Hasler and playing reserve grade while having a painkilling injection on his ankle. Fifita was criticised for his performance for Ipswich, but Johnson threw his support behind the $1 million edge forward. 'The criticism of David is unjustified,' Johnson said. 'Our starting front-rowers had four and five hit-ups, while Dave made 19 tackles with no misses. 'In fairness to Dave, if you watch the game, he was heavily marked and had three and four blokes gang-tackling him at every opportunity. 'We had our pants pulled down by a very good team that were bolstered by Cowboys NRL players. Dave committed totally to the team which says a lot about him as a person.' Fifita was reportedly sent to see a surgeon following his Jets appearance, with a clean-out surgery on his ankle looming and a month on the sidelines. As Fifita's situation at the Titans continues to bubble, league legend Scott Sattler urged the former Maroons star to leave the Gold Coast. Reports have surfaced the Titans have shopped the gun back rower to rival clubs, and Sattler, who played a role in building the Gold Coast's first roster, has urged him to leave the club. 'As much as it would pain me to see him leave the Gold Coast, at 25 he has so much upside in the rest of his career and I'd love to see him go to a club without a lot of comforts,' he said. 'I think he is at a point in his career where if he actually gets out of his comfort zone and goes to another club, outside of south east Queensland, he will flourish. Absolutely flourish. 'We will start to see the best of Dave Fifita. It's about taking a bit of ownership and not having those creature comforts around you.' Fifita has previously come desperately close to departing the Gold Coast, backflipping on a three-year deal with the Roosters in 2024.
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
'Fake news' Titans blast Fifita rumours
NRL: The Gold Coast Titans have dismissed rumours that they are shopping David Fifita who is set for a sideline stint with an injury.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NRL news: David Fifita theory shot down amid ugly claims surrounding Gold Coast Titans coach Des Hasler
Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui has shot down suggestions David Fifita's relationship with coach Des Hasler is "untenable", amid reports the forward has been shopped around to rival clubs. Fifita was spectacularly axed for the Magic Round loss to the Bulldogs after paying the price for the Titans' 50-18 thrashing by North Queensland the week before. It came after Fifita reportedly made a stunning request to play on the left edge of the Gold Coast attack, where teammate Beau Fermor has been impressing this year. It's understood Hasler rejected Fifita's request and dumped him to reserve grade, where the former Maroons forward featured for the Ipswich Jets in their 32-0 loss to Northern Pride over the weekend, before suffering a fresh injury blow. The Gold Coast titans have responded to reports David Fifita's relationship with coach Des Hasler has become untenable. Pic: Getty Fifita had pre-season surgery on his troublesome ankle but it's since emerged that the 25-year-old has been experiencing complications that have required pain-killing injections. Fifita has reportedly been playing through pain for the opening nine rounds, which would explain why his form has been so inconsistent in 2025. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The hulking forward has since been ruled out of Gold Coast's NRL round 10 clash at Newcastle on Friday night and the Jets' home clash with the Townsville Blackhawks on Sunday. No timeframe has been given on an expected return date for Fifita at the Titans but Code Sports went as far as suggesting that he may have played his last game for the club due to a breakdown in the relationship with coach Hasler. But Gold Coast skipper Fa'asuamaleaui - who is close with Fifita - rubbished those suggestions and praised the way the Maroons forward handled his controversial axing, before the latest injury setback. Fifita's attitude has also come under scrutiny from critics, with another narrative emerging that he hasn't been putting in maximum effort at training. But Fa'asuamaleaui has defended his teammate and says those claims about Fifita are simply not true. "Dave was really good last week with all the media talk and a lot of things being said," Fa'asuamaleaui said. "He turned up with the right attitude and got us ready to play the game on the weekend." Hasler addressed the star's axing after the Magic Round loss to the Bulldogs and said Fifita "had some thinking to do in some areas" of his game. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement RELATED: Titans captain backs coach after David Fifita axing But Fa'asuamaleaui said his teammate's relationship with the coach is not the issue, and backed Hasler's call after accepting that Fifita was not playing to the incredible potential he's capable of. "There's some areas he needs to work on in his game and sort some stuff away from (training)," the Titans skipper said about Fifita. "They definitely get along. Des has backed him since the beginning." ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The Titans have now lost five games in a row and Hasler has started Fifita from the bench in four out of six of the matches he's played. But Fa'asuamaleaui says the entire squad has to accept responsibility for their poor form this season, and revealed he's made sure to check on Fifita's mental wellbeing after his well documented struggles. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui says teammate and good friend David Fifita has handled his axing at the Titans well and denied reports he's had a falling out with coach Des Hasler. Pic: Getty "I'm trying to keep him up and making sure he's okay and how his personal life is and his head ...being there as a mate," the Gold Coast captain said. "The coach is the coach for a reason and makes decisions for what's best for the team and club. Whatever the coach says, I back." Titans CEO Steve Mitchell has also moved to squash reports that Fifita is being shopped around to rival clubs after insisting he remains a huge part of the club's future plans. Fifita is one of Gold Coast's top earners and his $1 million-a-season deal does not run out until the end of 2026. Reports claim Fifita would be willing to take a pay cut to move to a rival club but the Titans say they want him to stay and have not granted the forward permission to speak with other teams. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement 'Dave is an important part of the roster,' Titans CEO Mitchell told Code Sports. 'We expect him to have a big role to play moving forward.' Fifita extended with the Titans last year after backflipping on a big-money move to join the Roosters. He was also linked with a return to the Broncos where salary cap restraints were an obvious issue before ultimately reaffirming his commitment to the Titans. with AAP
The Advertiser
03-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
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.
News.com.au
29-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
NRL teams: David Fifita dumped for Magic Round, import snubbed in Rabbitohs shake-up
Destructive back-rower David Fifita has been sensationally axed by Des Hasler, while the Dragons have also made a major move in a bid to return to winning ways at Magic Round. The Titans have lost four games in a row, with Fifita paying the price for their form slump despite being their most damaging runner. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. He's been dumped to the reserves for their game against the Bulldogs, with young gun Josiah Pahulu joining the bench in place of Brock Gray who suffered a season-ending ACL injury last week. Shane Flanagan has also made a big switch this week with halfback Lachlan Ilias dropped after failing to fire at his new club. Lyhkan King-Togia will start in the halves after signing a contract extension on Tuesday, while Corey Allan will make his club debut on the wing after a long road back from injury. There's another halves shock at Souths where Lewis Dodd has been named in NSW Cup despite the club being without regular playmakers Cody Walker and Jamie Humphreys, while Latrell Mitchell is suspended. Dodd will partner Josh Schuster in the halves in reserve grade, with Jack Wighton shifting to five-eighth for the game against the Knights. Jye Gray returns to fullback against a Knights side that welcomes back Adam Elliott and Jacob Saifiti in the middle as they look to end their losing streak. The opening game of Magic Round sees Kayal Iro return from a hamstring injury at left centre for Cronulla, with Charlie Guymer promoted to the back row for the Eels. It's smooth sailing for the Roosters after their big Anzac Day win, but there are mass changes at the Dolphins who welcome back Jeremy Marshall-King, Felise Kaufusi and Kurt Donoghoe. Max Plath remains sidelined with a foot injury, while prop forward Daniel Saifiti is expected to be out for up to a fortnight with a shoulder concern. 'Marshall-King, Kaufusi and Donoghoe are all in line to play in Magic Round, and we will know more as we watch how Saifiti's injury settles down over the next week,' Dolphins head of performance Jeremy Hickmans said. The Bulldogs have been forced to make several changes with Josh Curran, Matt Burton and Sitili Tupouniua all suspended. Bailey Hayward starts at five-eighth, Daniel Suluka-Fifita gets a game at prop and Blake Taaffe joins the bench for their game against the Titans. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has swung the axe with young gun Casey McLean dumped to reserve grade, with Luke Garner set to start in the centres against a Broncos team that gets Jordan Riki back on an edge. And Sua Fa'alogo has been cleared to start on the wing for the Storm after he was knocked out of last week's win over the Rabbitohs courtesy of a high shot from Latrell Mitchell. Man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona got through his Queensland Cup game unscathed and has been named again on an extended bench. FRIDAY MAY 2 Cronulla Sharks v Parramatta Eels, Suncorp Stadium, 6pm Sharks team:1. William Kennedy 2. Samuel Stonestreet 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Billy Burns 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Siosifa Talakai 16. Braden Hamlin-Uele 17. Thomas Hazelton 18. Jayden Berrell 19. Tuku Hau Tapuha 20. Jesse Colquhoun 21. Hohepa Puru Eels team: 1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Jack Williams 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Charlie Guymer 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. J'maine Hopgood 14. Dylan Walker 15. Luca Moretti 16. Matt Doorey 17. Sam Tuivaiti 18. Ryan Matterson 19. Joash Papali'i 20. Dean Hawkins 21. Bryce Cartwright 22. Jordan Samrani Sydney Roosters v The Dolphins, Suncorp Stadium, 8pm Roosters team: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Robert Toia 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase 6. Sandon Smith 7. Hugo Savala 8. Spencer Leniu 9. Connor Watson 10. Naufahu Whyte 11. Angus Crichton 12. Siua Wong 13. Victor Radley 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Salesi Foketi 16. Blake Steep 17. Egan Butcher 18. Ethan King 19. Taylor Losalu 20. Chad Townsend 21. Dominic Young 22. Makahesi Makatoa Dolphins team:1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Felise Kaufusi 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Francis Molo 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 12. Tom Gilbert 13. Mark Nicholls 14. Kurt Donoghoe 15. Ray Stone 16. Connelly Lemuelu 17. Josh Kerr 18. Kenny Bromwich 19. Sean O'Sullivan 20. Oryn Keeley 21. Harrison Graham 22. Max Feagai SATURDAY MAY 3 South Sydney Rabbitohs v Newcastle Knights, Suncorp Stadium, 3pm Rabbitohs team: 1. Jye Gray 2. Bayleigh Bentley-Hape 3. Euan Aitken 4. Campbell Graham 5. Isaiah Tass 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jayden Sullivan 8. Sean Keppie 9. Peter Mamouzelos 10. Tevita Tatola 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Tallis Duncan 13. Jai Arrow 14. Liam Le Blanc 15. Lachlan Hubner 16. Davvy Moale 17. Fletcher Myers 18. Thomas Fletcher 19. Lewis Dodd 20. Joshua Schuster 21. Salesi Ataata 22. Nazareth Taua Knights team: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Jack Cogger 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Tyson Frizell 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Mathew Croker 16. Adam Elliott 17. Brodie Jones 18. Thomas Cant 19. Tyson Gamble 20. Kyle McCarthy 21. Matthew Arthur 22. Tyrone Thompson New Zealand Warriors v North Queensland Cowboys, Suncorp Stadium, 5:30pm Warriors team: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Taine Tuaupiki 3. Rocco Berry 4. Ali Leiataua 5. Adam Pompey 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Luke Metcalf 8. Marata Niukore 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitchell Barnett 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Leka Halasima 13. Erin Clark 14. Te Maire Martin 15. Jackson Ford 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Bunty Afoa 18. Tanner Stowers-Smith 20. Samuel Healey 21. Tanah Boyd 22. Eddie Ieremia 23. Edward Kosi Cowboys team: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Robert Derby 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. John Bateman 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Sam McIntyre 15. Harrison Edwards 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess 18. Zac Laybutt 19. Karl Lawton 20. Kai O'Donnell 21. Kaiden Lahrs 22. Thomas Mikaele Wests Tigers v St. George-Illawarra Dragons, Suncorp Stadium, 7:45pm Tigers team:1. Jahream Bula 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Starford To'a 5. Brent Naden 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Jarome Luai 8. Terrell May 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Fonua Pole 11. Samuela Fainu 12. Alex Seyfarth 13. Alex Twal 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Royce Hunt 16. Jack Bird 17. Sione Fainu 18. Tony Sukkar 19. Heath Mason 20. Kit Laulilii 21. Solomona Faataape 22. Tristan Hope Dragons team:1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Corey Allan 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Lyhkan King-Togia 8. Toby Couchman 9. Damien Cook 10. David Klemmer 11. Dylan Egan 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Hamish Stewart 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Jack de Belin 16. Emre Guler 17. Luciano Leilua 18. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga 19. Nathan Lawson 20. Blake Lawrie 21. Lachlan Ilias 22. Raymond Faitala-Mariner SUNDAY MAY 4 Gold Coast Titans v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Suncorp Stadium, 1:50pm Titans team: 1. Jaylan De Groot 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Phillip Sami 5. Jojo Fifita 6. AJ Brimson 7. Tom Weaver 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Chris Randall 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 14. Klese Haas 15. Iszac Fa'asumaleaui 16. Arama Hau 17. Josiah Pahulu 18. Tony Francis 19. David Fifita 20. Jacob Alick-Wiencke 21. Tukimihia Simpkins 22. Allan Fitzgibbon Bulldogs team: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Bailey Hayward 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harry Hayes 16. Kurtis Morrin 17. Blake Taaffe 19. Lipoi Hopoi 20. Blake Wilson 21. Jake Turpin 22. Luke Smith 23. Drew Hutchison Penrith Panthers v Brisbane Broncos, Suncorp Stadium, 4:05pm Panthers team: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Paul Alamoti 3. Izack Tago 4. Luke Garner 5. Thomas Jenkins 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Luke Sommerton 10. Liam Henry 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Trent Toelau 15. Isaiah Papali'i 16. Lindsay Smith 17. Mavrik Geyer 18. Daine Laurie 19. Luron Patea 20. Casey McLean 21. Billy Scott 22. Jack Cole Broncos team: 1. Selwyn Cobbo 2. Deine Mariner 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Patrick Carrigan 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Xavier Willison 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Cory Paix 15. Corey Jensen 16. Brendan Piakura 17. Jaiyden Hunt 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Martin Taupau 20. Josiah Karapani 21. Jock Madden 22. Benjamin Te Kura Melbourne Storm v Canberra Raiders, Suncorp Stadium, 6:25pm Storm team: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Sualauvi Faalogo 3. Grant Anderson 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Bronson Garlick 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Alec MacDonald 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Joe Chan 18. Ativalu Lisati 19. Lazarus Vaalepu 20. Kane Bradley 21. Keagan Russell-Smith 22. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
