Fus The Centre: Assessing David Fusitua's NZ Warriors Future
'Sniff my bum John'
Optimism surrounding the New Zealand Warriors has been a theme of mine this year and that's despite a never-ending supply of negativity being thrown into the air. Juggling realism and optimism hasn't been easy, when I fall back on the thought of a bunch of young Warriors entering their prime years though, I remind myself to be optimistic. One lad who fits that mould nicely is David Fusitua and given the mayhem that he has had to endure early in his NRL career along with the constant glimpses of his blatant talent, there's plenty of scope for the Fus to grow into something special.
That mayhem largely came this season as Fusitua and Tuimoala Lolohea had their careers stunted somewhat by some strange coaching decisions as Andrew McFadden looked to replace Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. One week Lolohea was the next hope at fullback, the next week it was Fusitua and while Lolohea had his confidence shot to pieces in being dropped altogether and relegated to the bench, Fusitua suffered a similar fate as he was made to fill a variety of spots in the Warriors backline.
You'd rather play a different position than be dropped, so in that regard Fusitua enjoyed a slightly more favourable deal than his Kelston brother Lolohea. The trouble for me though is that we are none the wiser as to which position Fusitua has a genuine long-term future in. It was never going to be fullback as Fusitua and Lolohea were merely plugging a hole and Tuivasa-Sheck will slot straight back into the No.1 jersey, but then Fusitua was swapped between wing and centre, with a lack of opportunity to really develop at centre an issue.
When Fusitua was given a shot at centre in place of Blake Ayshford, I was very encouraged. There's great scope for Fusitua to be a dynamic winger and we've seen time and time again how potent Fusitua is at finishing, the winger depth at the Warriors though has me pushing Fusitua to centre and that's especially the case when I ponder the size and lack of nippy footwork in Fusitua, Ken Maumalo and Manu Vatuvei. Having two big wingers is nice but the NRL these days requires speed and partnering Maumalo/Vatuvei with someone like Lolohea or Henare Wells would be ideal.
That also fits into a need to develop a long-term centre, with Solomone Kata holding down a centre spot. The Warriors have a few options here as Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Junior Pauga are shaping as intriguing prospects to watch out for, but Fusitua is somewhat established in the NRL, meaning that the Warriors may have missed a trick in not giving Fusitua a substantial game time at centre. Fusitua enjoyed a couple of games at centre, only to be moved back to fullback as part of the Warriors fullback-merry-go-round and Fusitua then finished the season at centre in place of an absent Solomone Kata.
The best comparison for Fusitua is Greg Inglis as they are both tall lads, quick enough, strong and equally capable of playing centre or fullback. Inglis is the best option at fullback for the Rabbitohs, while Fusitua is behind Tuivasa-Sheck but Inglis plays centre in rep footy with his size causing major problems for opponents. Fusitua has some low key skill to slip passes inside and out, while also able to fend with one hand and carry the footy, looking for an offload with the other.
Kata's locked down one edge, so it becomes a battle between Fusitua and Ayshford, a battle that should be a no-contest. Fusitua is a more potent attacking force than Ayshford and with time to really suss out playing centre in the NRL, Fusitua will be equal, if not better defensively than Ayshford. Consider these numbers but keep in mind that Ayshford spent much of the season while Fusitua chopped and changed through a number of positions; Fusitua had 27 missed tackles and 48 tackle busts this season while Ayshford had 42 missed tackles and 24 tackle busts.
The best case scenario come round one next season is that Fusitua starts at centre, with Kata on the other side. As long as there is a foundation/continuity in selection of Tuivasa-Sheck is at fullback, Fusitua and Kata in the centres with Shaun Johnson partnering Kieran Foran (/Ata Hingano or Lolohea), then I don't really care who is on the wing and it completely depends on who is training the best.
Now is the time for Fusitua to settle into a position and stay there. His athletic ability and skill suits centre nicely, he just needs time to figure out nuances that will come with experience. Stephen Kearney should be wiser than McFadden and with a fairly settled roster, Fusitua's long-term home will at the top of Kearney's agenda this summer.