David Fifita (rugby league, born 2000) facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | David Fifita Jnr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 February 2000 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
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| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (18 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 1 September 2024
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| Education | Keebra Park State High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Tesi Niu (cousin) Latu Fifita (cousin) Andrew Fifita (cousin) David Fifita (cousin) Solomon Haumono (uncle) |
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David Fifita, born on February 25, 2000, is a talented Australian rugby league player. He plays as a second-rower for the Gold Coast Titans in the top-level National Rugby League (NRL) competition. Before joining the Titans, he played for the Brisbane Broncos. David has also represented several important teams, including the Indigenous All Stars, Queensland in State of Origin, the Prime Minister's XIII, and the Tonga national rugby league team.
Early Life and Beginnings
David Fifita was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. His family heritage is very special: his mother's family comes from the Torres Strait Islander people (specifically the Badu people), and his father's family is from Tonga.
He went to Keebra Park State High School, which is known for its strong rugby league program. Even at a young age, David was an amazing player. One famous rugby league commentator, Andrew Voss, said David was the best young schoolboy forward he had seen in over 20 years!
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Junior League
David began his rugby league journey playing for the Souths Acacia Ridge junior club. He showed his talent early on. In 2015, he was chosen for the Queensland Under-16 team, even though he was a year younger than most players. He also played for the Queensland Under-15 Schoolboys team and was picked for the Australian Under-15 Schoolboys Merit team.
In 2016, he captained the Queensland Under-16 team. He was also part of the Keebra Park school team that almost won the GIO Schoolboy Cup. In 2017, David played for the Queensland Under-18 Schoolboys and then for the Australian Under-18 Schoolboys team that toured New Zealand. Later that year, he led his Keebra Park team to victory in the GIO Schoolboy Cup Final.
2018: NRL Debut
On February 13, 2018, David signed a contract extension with the Brisbane Broncos. He started the year playing in the Queensland Cup, a lower-level competition.
In July 2018, David made his exciting NRL debut for the Brisbane Broncos against the Canberra Raiders. This was a big moment because he was the first player born in the 2000s to play in the NRL! His coach, Wayne Bennett, praised his first game, saying he played "mistake free." Later that season, David scored his first NRL try. He finished his first year having played 11 games and scoring 2 tries.
2019: Representative Honours
In 2019, David played for the Indigenous All Stars team, scoring a try in their win against the New Zealand Māori All Stars.
After showing strong performances, David was selected for the Queensland Maroons squad for the 2019 State of Origin series. He made history again by becoming the first player born in the 2000s to play in State of Origin! The Queensland coach, Kevin Walters, joked about how quickly David moved up the ranks.
Later in 2019, David was also chosen for the Australia Prime Minister's XIII team and the Under-23 Junior Australian side.
2020: Moving to the Gold Coast Titans
In April 2020, David had knee surgery, which meant he couldn't play for a while. On July 25, it was announced that David had signed a big three-year contract with the Gold Coast Titans. This was a major move for him.
He played nine games for the Brisbane Broncos in the 2020 NRL season. It was a tough year for the Broncos, as they finished last in the competition for the first time ever.
2021: Scoring Tries for the Titans
David started strong with the Gold Coast Titans. In April 2021, he scored an amazing three tries (a hat-trick) in a game against Newcastle. Just a few weeks later, he scored another hat-trick against South Sydney!
He also played for Queensland in the first two games of the 2021 State of Origin series. Towards the end of the season, David scored two more tries for the Gold Coast in a big win over the New Zealand Warriors.
2022: Overcoming Injury
In 2022, David faced another challenge when he suffered a knee injury (an MCL sprain) and missed four matches. He played a total of 18 games for the Gold Coast Titans that year.
2023: State of Origin Success
David played in all three games of the 2023 State of Origin series for Queensland, helping his team win the shield! In August, he re-signed with the Gold Coast Titans, agreeing to stay with the club until the end of the 2026 NRL season. He played 22 matches for the Titans and scored eight tries.
2024: A Change of Plans
In May 2024, there was news that David might leave the Gold Coast Titans to join the Sydney Roosters. However, just a few days later, he changed his mind and decided to stay with the Gold Coast Titans until 2026! This showed his commitment to the Titans. He played 20 games for the Gold Coast during the 2024 NRL season.
Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |  Brisbane Broncos |
11 | 2 | 8 |
| 2019 | 24 | 7 | 28 | |
| 2020 | 9 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2021 |  Gold Coast Titans |
22 | 17 | 68 |
| 2022 | 18 | 7 | 28 | |
| 2023 | 22 | 8 | 32 | |
| 2024 | 20 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2025 | ||||
| Totals | 126 | 49 | 196 |
Images for kids
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David Fifita playing for Tonga.
