
Wakefield Trinity forward David Fifita has confirmed he will be playing in the UK again next year – and says he hopes it is with the Wildcats.
The former Cronulla forward signed for Wakefield on a short-term deal earlier this season, and League Express reported on Monday that talks are underway about the 27-year-old remaining at the club next year.
Fifita insisted his first preference is to stay with Trinity in 2017, saying he wants to repay the club for the support they have given him since he arrived at the club.
“I’ll be playing somewhere, it’s just a case of letting the agent do the work and get it over the line,” he told League Express.
“I’d be delighted if I could stay at Wakefield. The fans, the players and all the staff have been absolutely sensational for me since the minute I arrived, so I’d be keen to stay if I could. I love Chezzy (Chris Chester) as a coach, he’s been there for me every step of the way – so I want to give something back to the club.”
He continued: “I’ve loved it, especially knowing you’re playing with a good friend like Anthony Tupou.
“I’ve been over here to help my brother out too, I’m loving every minute of being in the UK and playing footy in this country. I’m looking forward to next season.”
Fifita admitted it was a disappointment to sign off at home with a defeat following a narrow loss to second-placed Hull FC on Thursday – but said the Wildcats could at least take heart from a “much-improved” performance ahead of the final round of the season this week.
“It was a much-improved performance,” he said.
“Defensively it’s the best we’ve been for quite some time and the bench really played a part too, they came off the bench and gave us a lift.
“For 80 per cent of the game it was ours to lose, I don’t think they were expecting it to be that tough – we weren’t going to roll over and let them walk all over us. It’s not the ending we’ve wanted in terms of result obviously.”
And Fifita joined the growing band of people who have admitted their frustration with the Super 8s league structure.
“It’s been tough,” he said. “I don’t like this whole concept and I know there’s a few other blokes frustrated by it.
“We had something going for us with the Challenge Cup which was great but since then it’s dipped a bit obviously.”