Pushing himself beyond his limits to having more self belief is what Viliami Fifita plans to achieve in his quest to become an NRL player in 2023.
Having just turned 22, Fifita is in his second season as a Manly NRL development player after coming through the Sea Eagles Pathways Academy, where he started as a 14-year-old.
A damaging ball runner with speed and agility, the 194cm/112kg prop has been taken under the wing of experienced front-rowers in Josh Aloiai, Taniela Paseka, and Sean Keppie to name a few.
“Probably the biggest thing for me is confidence," Fifita admitted.
“I’m a bit shy sometimes. But seeing the boys, how close they are and how they convey that on the field, it makes me want to have more self-belief.
“The senior guys have told me to just be myself, to stop being so quiet, and to just come out and play the way I know I can play.
“It's the same with the coaching staff. They want me to work more on my chat. To be louder on the field because when I get fatigued, I don’t chat much.
“The biggest thing for me, though, is effort on effort and working hard on my defence.”
Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold has high hopes for Fifita this season.
“We really want Viliami to challenge for a first grade debut this year, but that’s in his control,’’ Seibold said.
“The position that he’s in (middle forward) has great competition for spots, so it’s about being consistent.
“Viliami has shown a lot of growth in his physical perspective and we’re liking what we’re seeing on the training paddock”.
When asked about the ‘Mission Readiness Exercise’ camp the squad undertook prior to Christmas, Fifita spoke about how the players stuck together during adversity.
“It was hard. What I took away from the camp was just how far mentally I could go,’’ Fifita revealed.
“There were so many times that I wanted to quit. It was the same for the other boys. But no one wanted to quit or stop for each other.
"We just had to keep pushing through."
”
