Moses Suli has revealed he played a key role in bringing young gun Viliami Fifita to St George Illawarra and refuted suggestions he baulked at joining the club, saying only his family situation made the move difficult.
Suli became headline news after a media interview on Tuesday, in which he spoke of his qualms about moving to Wollongong. The former Wests Tigers, Bulldogs and Manly centre said close friend Fifita – who along with former Sea Eagle Alec Tuitavake was part of a player swap with Aaron Woods – was also hesitant about relocating.
Suli clarified that their concerns had nothing to do with joining the Red V, rather the difficulty in moving away from family.
In Suli’s case, he left his mother and sister after losing his father, Manu, at the age of 15.
“It’s amazing how my interview got twisted,” Suli told the Herald. “I am an Islander and for those who don’t know us Islanders, we are extremely close to our fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers.
“For myself and others in my situation, I didn’t know how I was going to pick up and relocate to my new club at the time and leave my family home, especially my mum being a widow.
Moses Suli taking on the Sharks in round four.Credit:NRL Photos
“I love the club and the loyal fans.”
After making the difficult shift from his family in Fairfield, Suli now feels at home in Wollongong. So much so that the Tongan international is about to buy property in the area.
Fifita and Tuitavake are considered among the most promising young forwards in the game, the latter a NSW under-19s and Australian Schoolboys representative. Fifita has been given a top-30 contract with a view to potentially making his NRL debut this year, while Tuitavake will be elevated from the development list to the top squad at the end of the season.
Suli said he helped allay Fifita’s concerns about leaving home.
“I have grown up with Viliame and he went through a very similar situation in needing to move away from his family,” Suli said. “I actually encouraged him to come to the Dragons based on my own experiences at the club.”
The Dragons are at a crossroads after informing Anthony Griffin they will scour the market for coaching options beyond this season. Any decision will have a huge bearing on the roster, given 10 players are off contract at the end of this season and only five have signed for 2025 or beyond.
Suli is fully committed – he is contracted until the end of 2024 – but several others, including Moses Mbye, Tyrell Fuimaono, Josh Kerr, Jack de Belin and Mikaele Ravalawa, are weighing up their options.
Griffin will make his own case for a new contract with a string of four seemingly winnable games, beginning with the Dolphins on Saturday.
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