Andrew Fifita
Encyclopedia
Andrew Fifita is an Indigenous Australian rugby league
player with a Tonga
n father who currently plays for the Wests Tigers
in the National Rugby League
. He plays as a prop and can also play as a second-row. He is known for his tackle-breaks and strong fend.
He attended Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown and Wyndham College.
Fifita played junior football for Doonside,St Pats and the Griffith Waratahs.
As a teenager, Fifita had trialled with the Sydney Roosters
and the North Sydney Bears
, but was considered lightweight, even though he was playing as a winger or centre at the time. Fifita said he, "tried eating and all that stuff but it didn't work and then one day I just blew out. It wasn't until I was 17 or 18 that I put the size on. Maybe it was the grog, I don't know. I was seriously pushing to get to 80kg back then. I think I was about 70kg."
, coming off the bench and scoring a try in the match. It was the first of 22 appearances for the 2010 season.
At the start of the 2011 season, Fifita was chosen to participate in a NSW
developmental squad. In the off-season he had dropped about 10 kilos to be playing at about 109 kg.
Fifita signed a three year contract in 2011, to join the Cronulla Sharks
from 2012.
played for the St. George Dragons
.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player with a Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
n father who currently plays for the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
. He plays as a prop and can also play as a second-row. He is known for his tackle-breaks and strong fend.
Early years
Fifita began playing rugby league with twin brother David in the Penrith junior rugby league system before moving to Griffith.He attended Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown and Wyndham College.
Fifita played junior football for Doonside,St Pats and the Griffith Waratahs.
As a teenager, Fifita had trialled with the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
and the North Sydney Bears
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
, but was considered lightweight, even though he was playing as a winger or centre at the time. Fifita said he, "tried eating and all that stuff but it didn't work and then one day I just blew out. It wasn't until I was 17 or 18 that I put the size on. Maybe it was the grog, I don't know. I was seriously pushing to get to 80kg back then. I think I was about 70kg."
Playing career
Fifita made his first grade debut against the Sydney RoostersSydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
, coming off the bench and scoring a try in the match. It was the first of 22 appearances for the 2010 season.
At the start of the 2011 season, Fifita was chosen to participate in a NSW
New South Wales rugby league team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
developmental squad. In the off-season he had dropped about 10 kilos to be playing at about 109 kg.
Fifita signed a three year contract in 2011, to join the Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
from 2012.
Personal life
His twin brother David also plays for the Tigers and their uncle JohnJohn Fifita
John Fifita is a Tongan former rugby league player who represented his country in the 1986 Pacific Cup and played professionally in England and Australia...
played for the St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
.