Beverly Craner’s heart is likely to skip a beat approximately 10 seconds after kick-off.
That’s the moment her twin sons, Daniel and Jacob Saifiti, are set to collide head-on in the first tackle of the match between the Knights and Dolphins in Newcastle on Thursday.
One of Bev’s boys will be coming off the back fence with the ball in hand and zero thoughts of self-preservation. The other will be travelling at similar velocity in the opposite direction, like a heat-seeking missile homing in on a target.
And while neither of the siblings would want it any other way, spare a thought for their mum, sitting in the grandstand.
“I’m going to say a little prayer to myself,” she said with a laugh. “I’m hoping they just go out and have fun, like when they were young, but it’ll be nerve-racking.”
Beverly predicts “once they pull that jersey on, they’ll just go at each other” – an observation based on their backyard footy battles as kids growing up on the Central Coast.
Twin brothers Jacob and Daniel Saifiti.Credit: Fairfax Media
When it comes to competition proper, however, the Saifitis have always been on the same team – first with The Entrance Tigers, then with the Knights, who recruited the young giants in their mid-teens.
But after nine seasons and well over 100 games alongside each other in Newcastle’s NRL side, Daniel has moved on, having signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins.
On Thursday the Saifitis will become only the fifth pair of twins to play against each other in top-flight rugby league, according to rugby league stats guru and historian David Middleton.
The others were John (Parramatta) and Mal McMartin (Penrith and Balmain), Kevin (Canberra and Brisbane) and Kerrod Walters (Brisbane and Adelaide), Brett (Canterbury) and Josh Morris (St George Illawarra) and Reece (Canberra) and Travis Robinson (Penrith).
NSW debutant Jacob Saifiti with mother Bev and partner Immogen Rodier.Credit: NSWRL / Grant Trouville
At least now that they are wearing different jerseys, fans might find it easier to tell the Saifitis apart. When they were first promoted into Newcastle’s NRL squad, a small scar on Jacob’s right cheek was how teammates would pick who was who.
Then, when coach Adam O’Brien arrived at the club, he asked them to wear contrasting coloured boots during training sessions to help him differentiate.
Jacob eventually solved the problem by changing his hairstyle, opting for a pseudo-mullet look, but there are still amusing moments of mistaken identity, in particular last year when referee Belinda Sharpe appeared set to sin-bin Daniel in a trial match, only to be informed Jacob was the culprit.
Like most brothers, they’ve had occasional moments of sibling rivalry, most notably a Hudson Young-Morgan Smithies style after-hours incident in their rookie NRL season, which prompted a sheepish joint apology to then coach Nathan Brown.
“It wasn’t even a fight, it was more a wrestle,” Jacob recalled. “It just got blown out of proportion by the media.”
Nonetheless, like an old bull elephant, Jacob remembers who won. “Daniel did,” he said with a smirk. “So I’ll be looking to get one back in round two.“
The younger brother by one minute, Jacob admitted it felt strange to arrive for the first day of pre-season training and realise Daniel’s locker was no longer next to his.
“I’m used to it now but the first week I was kind of looking around for him,” he said. “Obviously I’m close with all the boys, but walking in that first day without him, it was different. I missed that at first, but it’s OK now.“
Jacob said he still talks to Daniel “most days” and holidayed with him in the off-season. “I hadn’t seen him for a few months – probably the longest we’ve been apart,” he said.
While Daniel’s absence leaves a sizeable hole in Newcastle’s engine-room rotation, Jacob has embraced the challenge of replacing him.
“It obviously makes the pressure and load on my back a bit heavier,” Jacob said. “There’s a bit more expectation, and that’s something that I’m enjoying. Especially at training, my voice is a bit louder, and I think my actions have been a bit louder, too, this pre-season. I’ve got a bit of responsibility to take on.”
As for their clash on Thursday, he is adopting a business-as-usual approach.
“It’s going to be like any other game,” Jacob said. “I’ll be more looking at the jersey than who we’re playing against. Obviously I’m playing against Daniel, but he’s just someone who is playing for the Dolphins.
“It wouldn’t matter if it was him or my dad or my grandfather. I’ve got a job to do.”
Jacob said both Daniel and himself have a fair idea of what to expect on Thursday.
“Even when we were training with the Knights, when we do opposed sessions, it’s full contact and often we weren’t on the same team,” he said. “We’d be butting heads, so it’s not something I’m not familiar with. I’m used to tackling him. It’s just that this time he’s in a different jersey.”
While two premiership points are the priority, Daniel admits bragging rights are also up for grabs.
“It’s already started,” Beverly said. “They’re brothers, and they’re very close, and I love their relationship. They’re so supportive of each other, but they both want to win for their teams. That’s their job.”
Daniel said regardless of whether he or Jacob takes the kick-off return, there was no avoiding it.
“The position we play, we’re usually involved in the first contact, either carrying the ball or in defence,” he said. “It’ll be good fun. We used to bash each other in the backyard, so to do it in an NRL game is going to be pretty special.”
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