Andrew Fifita has overcome the hamstring issue which saw him replaced just seven minutes into the match against the Titans last weekend and will take to the field today for his 200th NRL game.
Fifita has worked diligently with Club medical staff throughout the week and is an extremely valuable inclusion for the Sharks for the game against the Sea Eagles later this afternoon.
A career which began at the Wests Tigers in 2010, Fifita made the move to the Sharks at the start of the 2012 season, ironically making his club debut against his former team in a round one match at Leichhardt Oval.
Since those humble beginnings, Fifita has gone on to achieve some of the highest honours in the game, representing both Australia and Tonga, NSW in the State of Origin arena, while scoring the winning try and playing a leading role in the Sharks Grand Final victory of 2016.
In addition to the 199 NRL games he has already contested, Fifita has represented Australia on seven occasions, his father’s country of birth in Tonga in eight Tests, while playing 10 games for NSW.
Proudly supporting his mother’s Indigenous heritage, Fifita has also played three times for the Indigenous All Stars.
The Dally M Prop of the Year in 2018, at his damaging best few can argue that Fifita ranks amongst the best big men in the game, that being never more evident than in the 2016 NRL decider, with his try late in the contest tipping the balance in the Sharks favour as the Cronulla side went on to claim their maiden premiership.
Before the bright lights of the NRL, Fifita’s journey saw him play for Blacktown St Patricks and the Griffith Waratahs, two clubs he remains immensely supportive of to this day.
Twin brother David was for a time a teammate at the Sharks, before he made the move to Wakefield Trinity in the UK SuperLeague.
Against a large and physical Manly forward pack, the inclusion of Fifita will provide the Sharks with a major boost ahead of their Steve Rogers Cup clash on Sunday
