The Gold Coast Titans have penned a deal with exciting young outside back Jojo Fifita to keep him at the club until 2025.
A product of the Queensland Reds rugby union system, the 19-year-old announced himself to the NRL this year after debuting against rival Queensland club the Brisbane Broncos back in July.
He appeared eight times for the Titans and racked up three tries as well as the club's Rookie of the Year award.
Jojo Fifita takes out our 2022 Rookie of the Year ๐ค๐ฝ pic.twitter.com/pWwW2M8npB
— Gold Coast Titans (@GCTitans) September 22, 2022
Fifita earned plenty of attention after his second NRL game, showcasing his pace against the Bulldogs when he almost ran down Josh Addo-Carr.
This feat saw him clock a stunning 36.9 kilometres per hour, placing him as the fifth-fastest player in the NRL as of Round 19.
His rookie season earned him representative call-ups for both the Queensland under-19s Origin side and Mal Meninga's Australia squad in the Prime Minister's XIII.
โJojo is a real talent and a player that we're excited to have here at the Titans long term,โ Titans' head coach Justin Holbrook said of Fifita.
โAfter growing up predominantly playing union, 2022 was just his second year of full-time rugby league and you can see how quickly he has adapted to our game.
โHe's a strike outside back but he is also a great defender and as he continues to develop we're confident that you'll see his game improve even further over the coming years.โ
Jojo is the second cousin of Titans' star and Tongan international David Fifita, and it will be interesting to see if this family connection will have any bearing on keeping the marquee man on the Gold Coast.
