Just a matter of weeks after making his representative debut for the Prime Minister's XIII, Jojo Fifita is set to re-sign with the Gold Coast Titans.
The youngster made his NRL debut for the club in 2022, crossing for three tries during the season as he established himself as a long-term option in the Gold Coast backline, despite a trickle of deficiencies in his game.
Having lost the likes of Esan Marsters and Corey Thompson for 2023, Fifita is keen to put his signature on the dotted line according to The Courier Mail,ย and ensure he's a Titan for the foreseeable future.
โThe Titans were close to home. It's only a 15-minute drive from where I live with my family so I can save money,โ Fifita told The Courier Mail.
โI'd like to stay because it's close to home and easy to get there. The club has only got one way up and they'll be getting better every year I reckon.
โI can tell with Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) and his passion towards the club, he really wants it to succeed. Hopefully I can be part of the club when it does.โ
The 19-year-old is eligible for New Zealand after being born across the ditch, while his father Pila represented Tonga in rugby union at a World Cup, meaning Jojo has a host of options for his representative future.
Despite having so many doorways at his disposal, Fifita has committed himself to Australia and Queensland for the future, though admits he had no clue what Mal Meninga, the Titans' High Performance Senior Advisor, was selecting him for when the Kangaroos coach rang early last month.
โIt used to be New Zealand when I was playing union,โ he said.
โNow I've changed over to Australia. I see myself as an Aussie now.
โMal called me out of the blue and said a spot had opened up for me if I wanted it. It was definitely a surprise. I wasn't exactly sure what the team was because they hadn't played in a few years.
โOnce he explained it I was pretty excited and so was the family. Dad was trying to listen to the conversation the whole time.โ
Fifita hasn't been selected for the Rugby League World Cup, and will instead focus on implementing himself as a full-season backline member for the Titans in 2023.
