Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has revealed why he chose to re-sign with the Gold Coast Titans on a long-term deal, despite interest from the Dolphins and other rival clubs.
Speaking with Peter Psaltis on 4BC’s WWOS Radio yesterday, Fa’asuamaleaui said something special was building at the Titans with an exciting future ahead to be driven by their younger players.
“We’ve got a lot of young boys here that I really want to build good combinations with and hopefully turn this club into a powerhouse,” he said.
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Heading into just his fifth NRL preseason, Fa’asuamaleaui has already achieved a lot in his short career. Now a senior player at the Titans in only his second season at the club, the 21-year-old feels he is maturing into a leader.
Feeling confident in the playing group at the Titans, Fa’asuamaleaui believes that the team has what it takes to win their first NRL title. Drawing on motivation from playing in Melbourne’s 2020 grand final win, Fa’asuamaleaui has hopes to lead the Titans to their first premiership and represent his country at the highest level in time.
“I believe in the boys around me, they’re all good people and we all work really hard. I really want to build something here with these fellas. They’re all very young and there’s obviously going to be some rough times, but hopefully, the rough times turn into positives and we’ll be holding up that trophy someday,” he said.
“I’m willing to do anything for these boys and this club to hopefully bring that first trophy to the Gold Coast and hopefully many more in the future. But we still have to do the hard work.”
Fa’asuamaleaui’s efforts helped the Titans make the top eight for the first time since 2016 after a stellar run home to end the 2021 season. This occurred without fullback AJ Brimson, who missed large chunks of the season due to injury.
AJ is a massive part of our future, he’s massive for us, and to obviously have him miss out on a lot of games was disappointing, but there was a shining light with JC (Jayden Campbell) coming through and that was awesome to see,” he said.
With high praise for replacement fullback Campbell, Fa’asuamaleau also highlighted the progression of second-year player Beau Fermor.
“He’s only going to get better with more experience and more games. I feel like it’s very exciting, he’s got a lot of potential to go far in this game,” he said.
“I’m happy he’s on my side and I can’t wait to form a better combination with him and grow as players.”
Fa’asuamaleau’s new deal will see him remain at the Titans until the 2026 season.
The Titans have returned for preseason training in preparation for next season.
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