Arguably by season’s end Andrew Fifita was the best front rower in the game, making his omission from the Australian Four Nations squad difficult to comprehend.
A polarising character off the field, Fifita’s talents on the paddock are of the highest order, this season helping guide the Sharks to a maiden NRL title, with his barnstorming four-pointer – a try very few other players, if any, in the game would have scored – propelling his team to that history-making victory over the Storm.
While overlooked most recently for Australian selection, Fifita has previously been a consistent performer at representative level, having played six Test matches for Australia and seven Origin games for NSW, ranking him amongst the games’ elite.
Joined the Sharks in 2012 and has gone on to play 102 games for the club, scoring 24 tries, which is an impressive strike rate from a player plying his trade in the front row.
A big man with speed and skill, Fifita will continue to play a vital role for the Sharks as they attempt to defend their 2016 crown and also in the years to come. Is he one of your picks for the Sharks Team of the Half Century?
