The secret to David Fifita’s stunning success has been revealed by Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold, who hopes to re-sign the boom youngster as soon as Wednesday.
And critics will be surprised to hear it is none other than under fire skipper Darius Boyd.
Fifita again proved the difference for the Broncos, producing a trademark bullocking run to put Jamayne Isaako in an ideal position to nail a match-winning field goal in a thrilling golden point clash with Parramatta that kept their finals quest on track.
He surged through six defenders over 30m before Isaako nervelessly potted the match-winner in the opening minute of extra time, icing a 17-16 result and moving Brisbane to seventh on the ladder.
The 19-year-old backrower also produced a typically powerhouse try in the 30th minute along with eight tackle busts, three line breaks while also running 132m.
Seibold admitted Fifita was just scratching the surface of his potential but was confident he could reach it with veteran five-eighth Boyd by his side.
“He is still forming a connection with Darius on the left edge. He loves playing beside Darius because he’s such a good talker,” Seibold said.
“When you are a young player one of the things you have to work on is the talk.
“Darius does that job for David. That’s why we play him on the left because he wants to play next to Darius which is a fair indication of what Darius brings.”
Boyd has come under fire from critics for what they perceived was an ill fated move from fullback to pivot this year.
But Seibold believed the switch had been a masterstroke after watching Fifita blossom, backing up from a “draining” debut State of Origin series with Queensland.
“Players tell you a story that people watching on TV or in the stands can’t see,” Seibold said.
“For David wanting to play beside Darius because of his talk, organisation and experience, that tells me something.
“And it has also been about managing his (on-field) time. He is only 19 and he had that big period over Origin.
“Anyone who has played Origin for the first time they tell me it is mentally draining.
“We managed his time for the first couple of games (after Origin) but the longer he is out there the better we are as a team.”
Fifita may not be off contract until next year but up to 10 NRL rivals had been set to queue up for his signature after the anti-tampering deadline lifted on November 1.
But Seibold believed Brisbane were close to securing the youngster’s future at Red Hill.
“We have got a really good contract waiting, sitting there for David,” he said.
“(Broncos football manager) Peter Nolan is meeting with his manager on Wednesday and David indicated to me he wants to stay.
“It is about working out the terms of the contract and whatever else.”
