Rugby league legend Mal Meninga has backed Titans star David Fifita to return to his barnstorming best in the coming seasons as a fight for his signature looms.
The Gold Coast side are reportedly in the box seat to retain the gun backrower, while Ricky Stuart’s Raiders have reportedly come in hard for the representative forward.
According to The Courier Mail, Fifita is set to make a decision regarding his future before the start of the 2023 season — and the 22-year-old is reportedly facing a $400,000 paycut from his whopping $1.2 million per-season deal.
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Meninga, who currently works as an advisor at the Titans, told News Corp he believes Fifita has his best years ahead of him.
“I think whoever gets him is going to get the best of David Fifita, there is no doubt about that,” Meninga said.
“And I know the Titans are really keen to keep him because they have invested a lot of time into him.”
At only 22, Fifita already has 84 games under his belt across stints at the Broncos and Titans.
While the former Queensland representative hasn’t lived up to his price tag, Meninga believes Fifita needs time to mature as a player whilst also recognising he becomes a focal point for opposition teams.
“He is only 22. Most forwards don’t really mature until 25/26, so he’s had a really good start to his career.
“He is finding a few hurdles at the moment, which most young kids do, particularly forward. And he has just got to keep persevering and keep learning every day.
“I know he has certainly got the work ethic and the desire and those sort of things. He has just to keep working.
“Oppositions actually put plans in place to stop them.
“So what he is going through at the moment is that opposition teams are making him work and trying to fatigue him so it takes all his attacking power out.”
BROWN’S HOLIDAY BLOW
Eels superstar Dylan Brown is reportedly set to miss the club’s pre-season trials after a cut to his arm became infected during a Bali holiday.
The New Zealand five-eighth only returned to full training this week according to the SMH after holidaying in Indonesia.
The 22-year-old’s infected cut then turned into a clot which could see him sidelined for a short period.
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Reports suggest Brown will sit out of Parramatta’s first trial and grand final rematch against the Panthers on Saturday February 11.
While he may be sidelined for the NRL’s pre-season challenge, Brown will likely still be named in Brad Arthur’s side for the first round of the regular season when the Eels face the Storm.
Brown played all of the Eels’ 28 games in 2022 before Arthur’s side eventually lost to the reigning premiers the Panthers.
The young gun also played a pivotal role in the Kiwis’ World Cup charge before being bundled out by Australia in the semi finals.
Brown signed a multi-year extension in December, which could see him remain at the Eels until the end of the 2031 season.
The gun playmaker will stay under Brad Arthur until at least the end of the 2025 season before Brown can activate multiple options for the following years.
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“It was always my intent for my manager to do all the work and not talk to me until I got back to Sydney,” Brown told foxsports.com.au.
“I had a long year and we had the World Cup and I wanted to travel after, so I just told my manager just wait until I get back.
“Well he definitely waited and he definitely followed through because when I got back I walked into his office and on the whiteboard he had a plan for me.
“I said, yep let’s go ahead with it and that was obviously to stay at the Eels.
“So we went to the Eels and it didn’t take long to come up with a deal that we were both happy with.”
