For 17-year-old winger Saifiti Junior Saifiti, making the NRL is the ultimate goal – but for now he is focused on making history with his Ipswich Jets teammates in the Mal Meninga Cup.
The Jets have never won the under-19 tournament but took the next step to rewriting history by beating the Mackay Cutters in an elimination final at their home ground at North Ipswich on Sunday afternoon.
The win was yet another great team effort from the Ipswich young guns, who won 38-32, with Saifiti silky yet potent in attack, scoring two tries and converting five from seven of his team’s tries, contributing 18 points in another huge individual performance.
This season he has now crossed for 10 tries and racked up 128 points in a mammoth contribution to his team.
After playing fullback and centre in the past, he is new to the 13-man game, having played rugby union for most of his life up until two years ago when he first gave rugby league a shot.
He now wants to crack the country’s professional competition, the National Rugby League, but when speaking with Local Ipswich News in the lead-up to last weekend’s game against the Cutters, he said he understood the need to focus on the mission at hand.
“I think we are going to win,” he said. “If I do my job and my boys do their job, then we have the chance every game.”
Saifiti is incredibly humble, and when he hears his stats read back to him, you can tell from the shock in his voice that he still cannot believe his outstanding numbers.
“Everything is from hard work. If you do your hard work on the field, you deserve that. I always do my practice, and practise kicking before and after training too.”
The Jets will now play the minor premiers the Tweed Seagulls next Saturday.
