New Zealand Warriors forward Demitric Vaimauga has re-signed until at least the end of 2028, while also confirming his new last name.
Formerly known as Demitric Sifakula, the forward has changed his name to honour his mother who raised him.
"My mum basically raised me from when I can remember, so I thought I'd just pay homage to my mum. She has done a lot for me, so I guess I took her last name and then I represent where all my talentes and I guess my upbringings come from, Vaimauga said in an interview posted to the Warriors' Youtube channel.
"I've also recently had my son take my mum's last name, so I just want to leave something behind for him."
A versatile forward, Vaimauga can play at either prop, second-row or lock forward and will look to increase his number of first-grade games over the coming years - something that was hampered in 2024 after he missed the first half of the year recovering from knee surgery.
The 20-year-old is now signed for as long as any player at the club through to 2028 in an enormous show of faith by the club. James Fisher-Harris is the only other player signed for as long.
The club's head of development Andrew McFadden said the club believed in Vaimauga as a player and a person.
“Demitric's extension takes him to 2028 – the only other player we have signed that long is James (Fisher-Harris) – so it shows just how much we believe in him as a player and as a person,” McFadden said.
“He has trained really well since coming back from injury and we're excited to see him continue his development under Webby and his staff while also being able to learn off the more established leaders we have in our top 30.”
Head coach Andrew Webster said the forward brings aggression and that he 'belongs' at NRL level.
“Demitric brings so much energy and aggression to his game on both sides of the ball. We love what he provides on the field and also off it,” Webster said.
“Going back to our first trial against the Tigers in 2023, he immediately showed he belonged at NRL level and everything he has done since has reinforced that.
“Injury impacted on his time on the field in the last two seasons but he has come back so well through a professional attitude. He's our future, a great example of a locally produced and developed player.”
The forward has played seven NRL games after making his debut in Round 9 of the 2023 season. He played three games in his rookie campaign, and another four last year, but will be hoping to get a clear run away from injuries and build on the form he has shown across 20 NSW Cup appearances in the same time frame.
