Buy and mighty: How AFB delivered the X-factor

When talk turns to ‘buy of the year’ status, Storm prop Stefano Utoikamanu and his Sharks counterpart Addin Fonua-Blake are at the forefront of the debate.

At 25 and already with 101 games under his belt, Utoikamanu arrived in Melbourne this season on a mission to take them back to the top of the mountain after coming up just short in 2024.

Fonua-Blake, meanwhile, has 208 NRL games to his name and a hard-earned reputation as one of the game’s elite big men.

With the Sharks having been perennial finalists for a decade but failing to make a decider since 2016, the 29-year-old was recruited to steer the club to a second premiership.

The Sharks’ emotion-charged grand final win over the Storm nine years ago was a moment to savour but you can only dine out on memories for so long.

After joining the Sharks in 2022 and taking the club to successive finals series, coach Craig Fitzgibbon went in search of the missing piece to complete the puzzle. The X-factor player who could get them to the promised land.

And so the deal was done to bring Fonua-Blake to the Sharks in 2025, after he was granted a release from the final two years of his contract at the Warriors.

“Addin is a world class front-rower and we are delighted to be adding him to our roster from 2025,” Fitzgibbon said when the deal was signed at the end of 2023.

“Throughout the negotiation process we have been impressed by his attitude, his genuine desire to help make the Sharks successful and to complement and work alongside both those in our leadership group and the young forwards we have coming through our system.

“As Dally M Prop of the Year and on the back of a couple of outstanding seasons, everyone has seen what he is capable of and we look forward to Addin playing a major role for us here at the Sharks.”

That major role in 2025 has seen the Tongan international play all 26 games and churn out 161 metres and 28 tackles per game as the Sharks have charged into another preliminary final.

To get to AAMI Park this Friday they had to first go through minor premiers Canberra on their home patch. And they had to do it without workhorse prop Tom Hazelton, who lasted just four minutes in his return from illness.

“When we lost Tommy there obviously, we just went, ‘Ads we’re gonna have to source ya’ and he went ‘sweet mate, whatever you need’,” Fitzgibbon told media after the 32-12 win at GIO Stadium.

“I said, ‘well how long can you go?’ And he goes, ‘as long as you want’. And I went, ‘That’s nice to know’.

“He’s had calf strains, a groin, and some other things going on, but he hasn’t missed a game. He is just all in.”

In the Sharks’ hour and 16 minutes of need, Fonua-Blake stood tall, carving out 156 metres from 14 relentless runs and throwing in 36 tackles for good measure.

Come Friday night, Cronulla’s main man squares off against the Storm’s young bull Utoikamanu in a battle for the ages.

After 75 games at Wests Tigers across four seasons, Utoikamanu landed in Melbourne with a big reputation for having a big motor.

He already had two Origins for NSW and two Tests for Samoa under his belt but the true test would come in how quickly he could find his place in the star-studded Storm pack.

In the build-up to Friday night’s blockbuster, Storm captain Harry Grant spoke glowingly of the impact Utoikamanu has made on and off the field.

“I was pumped [when we signed him]. I actually texted our chairman and just give him a big rap and said how good it is that we're a grand final team and we're adding so much firepower,” Grant said.

“We made the grand final last year, we were minor premiers, and we're adding a player of the calibre of Stefano [for 2025].

“I was really excited and I definitely don't think he's let anyone down with his performances this year and the way he's gone about his business.

“He's come here wanting to be a better player, wanting to be a better person, and I definitely think he's done that and hopefully it's just the start of a long journey that he's got here.

“He's a quiet assassin, he’s come in and he just earned a lot of respect straight away through his actions and just wanting to train hard and play well.”

The kind of respect earned not with tough talk but tough carries.

The kind of respect that will go to a whole new level for the enforcer who can lead his team into the grand final with a dominant display on Friday night.