One of the five Wests Tigers players that had received breach notices from the club has reportedly been revealed as young gun playmaker Latu Fainu.
Aiming to climb off the bottom of the ladder after three back-to-back-to-back Wooden Spoons, the Wests Tigersย have ushered into a new era underย Benji Marshallย and Shane Richardson and will enter the second year of their 'Five Year Plan' next season.
Having made it clear that the Tigers demand the highest standards from the playing group, reports emerged last week that five players were issued official warnings after they failed to meet expectations upon their return to the club.
This came after the entire playing group agreed to uphold the highest acceptable fitness levels during their exit interviews at the end of the 2024ย NRL season.
As reported byย The Sydney Morning Herald, young playmaker Latu Fainu was one of five players who received a breach notice from the club after a disappointing time trial result.
It is understood that despite the breach notice, he has received mixed messages that he shouldn't worry about it.
However, the Tigers are also focusing heavily on standards as they attempt to move off the bottom of the ladder for the first time in four years.
โPlayers have to live up to what the standards are of a team that's going to be successful,โ Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson told The Daily Telegraph.
โThere's no stone unturned about the discipline the club requires to be successful. I've got to say overall, I've had no major pushback on that.
โSo the players have got to understand that Benji's way is the way. It's as simple as that.
"And if they want to play first grade at the club, they have to understand it is under what Benji's rules are. It's got nothing to do with between young players and older players.
โWe have won three straight wooden spoons. We are just not going to accept anything that is not absolutely of the higher standards for culture and for training and everything else.โ
Contracted for another three seasons until the end of 2027, Latu and his brother Samuela Fainu are key figures in the club's rebuilding process and are expected to turn around the team's fortunes in the coming years.
Fainu has been in theย NRLย system since a young age, where he reached great heights in the junior representative ranks. This would see him once groomed as the potential successor ofย Daly Cherry-Evansย at theย Manly Sea Eagles, a player he has moulded his game on.
Inking a seven-figure deal with the Sea Eagles at the age of 16, the Tongan international would then make the move to theย Wests Tigers.
Competing with Lachlan Galvin and Jarome Luai for a spot in the starting halves next year, Fainu had a horror run of injuries this season that didn't allow him to reach his potential or cement a regular spot in the side.
"It's been great (playing in theย NRL). I'm still new to this, still new to playing in front of big crowds, but I'm loving every single moment," Fainu toldย Zero Tackleย earlier in the year.
