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The secret weapon David Fifita is yet to unleash for Broncos
Joel GouldSun 1 Sep 2019, 09:01 AM
David Fifita’s barnstorming running game has inspired the Broncos in recent weeks but he has a freakish reverse flick pass in his arsenal that he is yet to unleash in the top grade.
It is a weapon in Fifita’s armoury that those who know the 19-year-old best say he will unveil on a regular basis once he gains more confidence playing in the NRL.
Fifita scored a try and made a devastating 30-metre run in the lead-up to Jamayne Isaako’s golden point field goal in the 17-16 win over the Eels on Fridaynight after he made 141 metres, two line breaks and 15 tackle breaks.
There were no offloads but his former Keebra Park High coach Glen Campbell says he has the ability to throw them with devastating impact.
"David hasn’t started using his reverse flick pass yet but when he gets enough confidence to use it the outside backs will be scoring tries everywhere. It is awesome. Just wait until you see it.
"He’ll punch through the line, hear the call and he can do it on the spur of the moment. It is really special to watch when it comes."
Fifita’s former team-mate at Keebra Park and current Broncos colleague Payne Haas grinned when asked about the reverse flick and said he had "seen it all before", while acknowledging that without Tevita Pangai jnr’s offloading skills in the side at the moment Fifita could fill the breach.
"I have seen it all before and he will probably pull it out when he gets more confidence. What people have seen so far from Davey isn’t the full package,” Haas told NRL.com.
"He is only scraping the surface of what he can do at the moment. Tevita’s offloads are a big miss for us at the moment but if Davey can get that going he is going to be a crazy player.
“Davey is a freak. He’s got everything and is one of those players you don’t see come around too often. Davey has got the world at his feet if he keeps working hard.
"What you are seeing was happening at school but I am just glad it is happening now so everyone else can see it."
Campbell said Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold was using Fifita well as an edge back-rower rather than a middle forward.
"I always found him to be more of an edge player than a middle. I find when he has the ball and has more time to move he can do those zig-zagging runs and throw some real impact into the game because he is so hard to handle," he said.
Fifita said he was enjoying his role at the Broncos and playing full games, as he did against the Eels.
"At the beginning of the year Seibs spoke to me and I had heaps to learn. I think I am improving each week with my fitness and my game," Fifita said.
"Darbs [Darius Boyd], Lexi [Alex Glenn] talk to me out and help me out and are getting in my head. Darbs does heaps with me. He just directs me and says ‘get to this point and have a run’. I don’t like to think about it too much. I just want to get the ball and run."
As for his golden point surge against the Eels, Fifita said it was one of his favourite plays.
"It was a drop under and through the middle. They are the sort of plays I like. I try to back myself. It was a quick play the ball and Isaako did the job for us at the end," he said.
"We needed that win. Parra are a good team and in the top eight but that was the talk all week that we needed that win, all of us boys. Earlier in the year they touched us up [38-10]. They basically bullied us and we had to get out there and stick it back to them."
Fifita is off contract at the end of 2020 and the Broncos head of football operations Peter Nolan will meet with his management on Wednesday to kick-start negotiations for an extension.
"The Broncos are a great club and where I have been since I was young. The staff and the boys are really helpful," Fifita said.
Seibold reiterated after the Eels win that the Broncos would not lose Fifita and had funds set aside for his extension.
"We have got a really good contract sitting there waiting to go for David and Peter Nolan is meeting with his manager on Wednesday. David has indicated to me that he wants to stay," Seibold said.
"It is just really working out the terms of the contract. We have money there for David."
www.nrl.com
Joel GouldSun 1 Sep 2019, 09:01 AM
David Fifita’s barnstorming running game has inspired the Broncos in recent weeks but he has a freakish reverse flick pass in his arsenal that he is yet to unleash in the top grade.
It is a weapon in Fifita’s armoury that those who know the 19-year-old best say he will unveil on a regular basis once he gains more confidence playing in the NRL.
Fifita scored a try and made a devastating 30-metre run in the lead-up to Jamayne Isaako’s golden point field goal in the 17-16 win over the Eels on Fridaynight after he made 141 metres, two line breaks and 15 tackle breaks.
There were no offloads but his former Keebra Park High coach Glen Campbell says he has the ability to throw them with devastating impact.
"David hasn’t started using his reverse flick pass yet but when he gets enough confidence to use it the outside backs will be scoring tries everywhere. It is awesome. Just wait until you see it.
"He’ll punch through the line, hear the call and he can do it on the spur of the moment. It is really special to watch when it comes."
Fifita’s former team-mate at Keebra Park and current Broncos colleague Payne Haas grinned when asked about the reverse flick and said he had "seen it all before", while acknowledging that without Tevita Pangai jnr’s offloading skills in the side at the moment Fifita could fill the breach.
"I have seen it all before and he will probably pull it out when he gets more confidence. What people have seen so far from Davey isn’t the full package,” Haas told NRL.com.
"He is only scraping the surface of what he can do at the moment. Tevita’s offloads are a big miss for us at the moment but if Davey can get that going he is going to be a crazy player.
“Davey is a freak. He’s got everything and is one of those players you don’t see come around too often. Davey has got the world at his feet if he keeps working hard.
"What you are seeing was happening at school but I am just glad it is happening now so everyone else can see it."
Campbell said Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold was using Fifita well as an edge back-rower rather than a middle forward.
"I always found him to be more of an edge player than a middle. I find when he has the ball and has more time to move he can do those zig-zagging runs and throw some real impact into the game because he is so hard to handle," he said.
Fifita said he was enjoying his role at the Broncos and playing full games, as he did against the Eels.
"At the beginning of the year Seibs spoke to me and I had heaps to learn. I think I am improving each week with my fitness and my game," Fifita said.
"Darbs [Darius Boyd], Lexi [Alex Glenn] talk to me out and help me out and are getting in my head. Darbs does heaps with me. He just directs me and says ‘get to this point and have a run’. I don’t like to think about it too much. I just want to get the ball and run."
As for his golden point surge against the Eels, Fifita said it was one of his favourite plays.
"It was a drop under and through the middle. They are the sort of plays I like. I try to back myself. It was a quick play the ball and Isaako did the job for us at the end," he said.
"We needed that win. Parra are a good team and in the top eight but that was the talk all week that we needed that win, all of us boys. Earlier in the year they touched us up [38-10]. They basically bullied us and we had to get out there and stick it back to them."
Fifita is off contract at the end of 2020 and the Broncos head of football operations Peter Nolan will meet with his management on Wednesday to kick-start negotiations for an extension.
"The Broncos are a great club and where I have been since I was young. The staff and the boys are really helpful," Fifita said.
Seibold reiterated after the Eels win that the Broncos would not lose Fifita and had funds set aside for his extension.
"We have got a really good contract sitting there waiting to go for David and Peter Nolan is meeting with his manager on Wednesday. David has indicated to me that he wants to stay," Seibold said.
"It is just really working out the terms of the contract. We have money there for David."
The secret weapon David Fifita is yet to unleash for Broncos
David Fifita’s barnstorming running game has inspired the Broncos in recent weeks but he has a freakish reverse flick pass in his arsenal that he is yet to unleash in the top grade.
www.nrl.com
