Secret weapon David Fifita is yet to unleash for Broncos

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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.

"I remember one junior coach trying to pull the offload out of him but I said to Dave that I wanted him to keep doing it and get better and better at it. By the time he finished school here the fullback thought it was a try scoring festival just running off Dave’s hip and getting a popped ball," Campbell told NRL.com.

"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
Joel GouldSun 1 Sep 2019, 09:01 AM
...



"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."


...

This is all well and good, however I can't recall any outside backs, or anyone for that matter, running in support of Fifita when he made all those incredible line breaks in the last few games. Having a weapon like Fifita is absolutely jaw dropping. Not having a game plan worked out to use his skills is ridiculous, and at this point in time, reduces our scoring to "give the ball to the big blokes" ... and hope. It won't be good enough against the Storm, Roosters and Raiders whose defence is at another level to the other finals teams.

For mine, Seibold desperately needs to get some structured shapes happening around the running games of Fifita, Haas and TPJ or it just becomes a waste of scoring opportunities.
 
Probably would get roasted for doing it if it didn’t work at nrl level.
 
...

This is all well and good, however I can't recall any outside backs, or anyone for that matter, running in support of Fifita when he made all those incredible line breaks in the last few games. Having a weapon like Fifita is absolutely jaw dropping. Not having a game plan worked out to use his skills is ridiculous, and at this point in time, reduces our scoring to "give the ball to the big blokes" ... and hope. It won't be good enough against the Storm, Roosters and Raiders whose defence is at another level to the other finals teams.

For mine, Seibold desperately needs to get some structured shapes happening around the running games of Fifita, Haas and TPJ or it just becomes a waste of scoring opportunities.

You will often see Haas bend the line turn his body and look around for a support runner, only to hold onto the ball and succumb to the tackle. We really need some halves so Milf can focus on sniffing around these massive blokes. TPJ does the same except he dgaf so he’ll just launch the offload wether it’s the smart option or not and he’s so good at them that he somehow manages to find a team mate even though they aren’t supporting his runs.
 
"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."

Interesting quotes, just watching big league wrap and they mentioned something similar. According to Seibs, Fifi and Boyd have a special bond, and that it was Fifi who asked for Boyd to be moved into the halves. He feels comfortable knowing that Boyd is there next to him.

centre with Fifi beside him next season (assuming Boyd doesn’t retire) seems the natural transition
 
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Interesting quotes, just watching big league wrap and they mentioned something similar. According to Seibs, Fifi and Boyd have a special bond, and that it was Fifi who asked for Boyd to be moved into the halves. He feels comfortable knowing that Boyd is there next to him.

centre with Fifi beside him next season (assuming Boyd doesn’t retire) seems the natural transition

God...reminds me the way my youngest speaks about his older brother.....

THIS is precisely why the worst possible outcome for him regardless of where he signs he being labelled a million dollar per year player.....he really is a "baby" in terms of maturity and emotional intelligence...(metaphorically speaking..)

He will get his money, but right now isnt equipped nearly well enough to handle everything that comes with it...
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...

This is all well and good, however I can't recall any outside backs, or anyone for that matter, running in support of Fifita when he made all those incredible line breaks in the last few games. Having a weapon like Fifita is absolutely jaw dropping. Not having a game plan worked out to use his skills is ridiculous, and at this point in time, reduces our scoring to "give the ball to the big blokes" ... and hope. It won't be good enough against the Storm, Roosters and Raiders whose defence is at another level to the other finals teams.

For mine, Seibold desperately needs to get some structured shapes happening around the running games of Fifita, Haas and TPJ or it just becomes a waste of scoring opportunities.

THIS....absolutely this...!
 
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Interesting quotes, just watching big league wrap and they mentioned something similar. According to Seibs, Fifi and Boyd have a special bond, and that it was Fifi who asked for Boyd to be moved into the halves. He feels comfortable knowing that Boyd is there next to him.

centre with Fifi beside him next season (assuming Boyd doesn’t retire) seems the natural transition
More probable Boyd thinks he can pick up an easy try or 2 by hanging out next to Fifita. I'd be seriously worried with the coaching if 19yr old rookies were selecting the team's halves.
 
He will get his money, but right now isnt equipped nearly well enough to handle everything that comes with it...

Any superstar young player with a decent manager who actual puts their well being above getting as big a cut they can get off shopping their client around, should use the Ash Taylor conundrum in their line of thinking.

Taylor was given a million dollars a season before he had earned it and wasn’t mature enough to deal with it. He and his manager picked money over absolutely everything to do with his well being.

He will get his $3,000,000 over these disastrous 3 seasons but has probably cost himself double that in the long run as now any club willing to even touch him wouldn’t likely give him a cent over $400,000-$500,000 on current market value whereas he could have developed his game without the intense scrutiny a million dollars brings and entered the market in his peak years and earned his million dollar a season when he was ready and could have probably earned that over a longer sustainable period.

I don’t think Fifita is going to go down the same path. All our forwards coming through are being paid very well for their age and we have a chance to build something big.
 
Any superstar young player with a decent manager who actual puts their well being above getting as big a cut they can get off shopping their client around, should use the Ash Taylor conundrum in their line of thinking.

Taylor was given a million dollars a season before he had earned it and wasn’t mature enough to deal with it. He and his manager picked money over absolutely everything to do with his well being.

He will get his $3,000,000 over these disastrous 3 seasons but has probably cost himself double that in the long run as now any club willing to even touch him wouldn’t likely give him a cent over $400,000-$500,000 on current market value whereas he could have developed his game without the intense scrutiny a million dollars brings and entered the market in his peak years and earned his million dollar a season when he was ready and could have probably earned that over a longer sustainable period.

I don’t think Fifita is going to go down the same path. All our forwards coming through are being paid very well for their age and we have a chance to build something big.
The other classic example, albeit a bit older is what has happened with Ben Hunt. Saints have got him for another 3 years on that huge contract and his confidence is shot.
 
Being paid overs puts more pressure on you, but to be a good half you need to be able to handle pressure. People keep coming up with excuses for him, but maybe Taylor just wasn't meant to be?
 
The other classic example, albeit a bit older is what has happened with Ben Hunt. Saints have got him for another 3 years on that huge contract and his confidence is shot.
Yes. It was shot the moment he dropped the ball and never ever to be regained unfortunately.
 

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