When the bombshell dropped that superstar prop Payne Haas may be wearing Samoan colours on the international stage, the rugby league world went into a frenzy.
It has now been reported that Samoa has eyed out another member of Mal Meninga's Australia squad, fellow Origin prop Tino Fa'asuamaleaui.
The latest revelation in Samoa's poaching frenzy proposes that both Haas and Fa'asuamaleaui would switch allegiance to the Samoa squad, a frightening prospect for opposing forward packs.
โTino has been approached by Samoa,โ Fa'asuamaleaui's agent Simon Mammino told the Daily Telegraph.
Mammino made clear that Tino's current focus is the Gold Coast Titans, as he returns from a year-long knee injury.
โAt the moment, Tino is coming back from his knee injury, he is fully focused on the Titans and he won't be thinking about representative football until later in the season, if not post-season."
While Mammino wasn't willing to get a solid answer as to what Fa'asuamaleaui's plans were, he did admit there was some interest in the prospect of playing for Samoa.
"There's definitely some interest there, and if they [Samoa] get all the players they are chasing, it's a very formidable team.โ
It has been reported that Samoa coach Ben Gardiner flew to Brisbane for a meeting with Fa'asuamaleaui in pre-season, to discuss the prop's interest in his international squad.
Mammino also discussed how important Tino's heritage is to him, as is playing for Australia.
โPlaying for Australia means a lot to him,โ he said. โTino takes great pride playing for his country, it's just an emotional pull between two countries, whether to play for Australia or represent his heritage."
While Payne Haas's representative decision is also up in the air, Mammino says that his choice will have no bearing on what Tino ultimately decides to do.
With Samoa inching closer to becoming a tier-one country in rugby league, the addition of Fa'asuamaleaui would be a massive boon.
