The Fainu brothers have always dreamed about playing with each other but have never been able to. Now, as the 2024 season gets ready to begin, the brothers are aiming to make their childhood dreams a reality.
After spending time with the Manly Sea Eagles, Samuela and Latu Fainu joined their older brother Sione at the Wests Tigers after agreeing to long-term contracts with only one main goal in mind.
That goal is to one day have the opportunity to play with each other on the big stage.
Last weekend, Samuela and Sione got the opportunity to play with each other for the first time in the club's first trial match against the New Zealand Warriors. However, due to recovering from injury, Latu Fainu is still unavailable.
Despite all three being tremendous talents and having represented the U19s or U18s New South Wales teams at some point in their careers, they have surprisingly never played alongside each other, whether that be for their junior club, school team or at representative level.
"Never happened," Latu Fainu told Zero Tackle if the three of them had ever played with each other at the same time before.
"I played with Samuela a lot, so it's kind of easy getting to play with him every time I step on the field, but playing with Sione will be a dream come true.
"Playing all together on a big stage, you can't think of it, there's no words.
"That's all we dreamed about as little kids. We even told each other. So that moment will just be incredible, especially for our family as well."
Failing to reach the NRL finals in over a decade, Benji Marshall signed four new halves to freshen up the roster, and while the players won't like to admit it, it has created some competition over who will be chosen in the two spots.
Already having a previous relationship with Lachlan Galvin due to previously playing together at the junior levels, including in the same Under-13s team, Fainu described his relationship with the other halves in the team.
"I'm kind of close with Salad [Aidan Sezer] and especially Bud [Jayden Sullivan] cause he was close to my cousins," he added.
"But with Lachie, we've known each other since we were little kids, so it's easy to stuff around and that, but when it comes to drills and that, the boys are locked in.
"That's one thing I like about these boys. There's no competition at all. We're just making each other better each and every single day."
"It's been wonderful. All the boys have really welcomed me and my brother in.
"Learning of senior players like Bud and Sezer...it just feels like home."
A promising talent, Fainu's previous achievements include playing a significant role in guiding the Manly Sea Eagles to the Harold Matthews title in 2021, where he would go on to be named Player of the Tournament.
Although he spent several years with the Sea Eagles and played in the club's Harold Matthews Cup, SG Ball Cup, Jersey Flegg Cup and NSW Cup team, he is eager to run out for the Wests Tigers, with the club's fan base behind him.
"It'd be crazy," Fainu added when questioned what the feeling would be like to run out from the sheds in Tigers colours eventually.
"I made my [NSW] Cup debut against Tigers, and they were getting into me.
"They're only of the loyalist fans, and I can't wait to go out on the field and especially hear them out screaming when we score a try."
