Norths forward Fai reflects on his 100 Cup games

Dan Russell’s NRL debut tonight is serving as plenty of inspiration for Hostplus Cup players like George Fai.

Russell, at the age of 27, will come off the bench for the St George Illawarra Dragons in their Round 19 clash with the Canberra Raiders, after serving a lengthy apprenticeship in Cup with Souths Logan, Mackay and Brisbane Tigers from 2015 until the end of last season.

For 26-year-old Fai, it shows him that nothing is impossible, no matter how far along in your rugby league career you might be.

Fai – who played with Russell at the Tigers last year – last week celebrated his 100th Cup match in what was just his second appearance for his new club, the Norths Devils.

The powerful forward has had a rollercoaster career, having played for Souths Logan, Brisbane, Redcliffe and Norths across his time in Cup, as well as playing two NRL games for the Brisbane Broncos in 2017 and 2018.

He also took a two-year break from the game to focus on his family, following the birth of his first child.

But, after finally reaching that special milestone of 100 Cup games, Fai admits he still has a lot of high hopes for his future, including an eventual return to an NRL system.

“Dan Russell, he’s debuting at 27 and Jon Reuben last year, he made his NRL debut at 29,” Fai said.

“I think the main goal is still to get back into an NRL system and cement a spot somewhere and take it day by day with that and keep chipping away.

“Those guys show it’s never too late and if I can continue to work on eating well, playing good footy and getting back into an NRL system and being like that, it’s never too late to give up on a dream or give up on anything at all.”

Fai notched up his 100th game for the Devils in a loss to Tweed Seagulls at Bishop Park last Sunday.

While it wasn’t the result he wanted, Fai earned man of the match honours for Norths and knows that game will stay in the memory bank for a long time to come.

“It meant everything,” Fai said of the milestone.

“I wish I could have reached it sooner but it meant a lot to me and the family to reach that milestone.

“Norths have also been nothing but amazing for me since getting to the club literally a month ago.

“Being my milestone game, I thought I would really try to step up. The result didn’t end up going our way but I was glad the team saw I tried harder.

“That’s the level I will try to bring each week for them. I want to be that sort of leader for them and I was glad they saw some of it on the weekend. Hopefully I can keep delivering.”

Fai arrived at Norths last month after starting the season with Redcliffe.

While he enjoyed his time at the Dolphins and learning from coach Ben Te’o, the new affiliation with the Dolphins NRL saw Fai sitting behind a lot of other players and he wanted to go where he had the best opportunity to play in Cup.

He reached out to his former Queensland Schoolboys coach, Dave Elliott, at Norths and they took him in immediately.

Fai said he’s already feeling some of the most settled he has ever felt at a club. He also knows Elliott could be one of the best mentors for him.

Along with his partner, Nina, and his parents, Fiona and Aminiasi, Fai said Elliott is one of three coaches who have had a major impact on him during his career.

“One is Wayne Bennett,” Fai said of those who have influenced him most.

“I would have been about 18 and I was in the under 20s competition for the Broncos and I got a train and trial with the NRL team.

“We were in the gym and Wayne was doing some sort of workout. I approached him and I wanted to play against men so I was asking for permission to play Cup rather than play the under 20s competition.

“He gave me that chance and I was so grateful that he did. Playing against men was the best thing for me.

“Another person would be (former Souths Logan and Brisbane Tigers coach) Jon Buchanan. I played pretty much my whole career with him. He was awesome.

“He was sort of like a second father figure for me and I could turn to him for anything off field, anything on field. He always honest with me, which was what I loved.

“He’d pat me on the back if I deserved it and kicked me up the bum if I needed it. He helped my career massively and I wouldn’t be playing now if it wasn’t for him.

“And then Dave is like JB. He’s like a father figure type too and has welcomed me into the club. I’ve known him for years and reconnecting with him now, I’ve only played two games with Norths but I haven’t been this happy since being under JB.”

It was Buchanan last year who helped Fai get back into the game after his two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021.

Fai said during his career, he had found consistency to give him both his highlights and his most challenging times.

When he’s on track, he’s doing well. But when he’s struggling for that consistency, he really feels it and it took a while for him to understand that and learn from it.

That’s why as he chases a return to the NRL, and the opportunity to extend on his 100 game milestone in Cup, Fai is mostly looking for consistency.

“The biggest challenge has been playing consistently,” Fai said.

“You can play awesome one week and terrible the next. If you want to compete to get back in an NRL system or NRL team, you have to put your best forward, whether you’re feeling good or not.

“You have to turn up and be ready and consistency is a big key. I found that when I was younger when I first started playing at 18, 19, that was my biggest challenge, trying to play consistent footy.

“Returning has also been a big hurdle. I took two years off to watch my daughter grow. I only had one kid at the time and for me, I felt like I was flying away from her every second week and it hurt me emotionally.

“I had to take some time to watch her grow a bit. Now she’s a bit older and has siblings, it’s a blessing to return to footy and playing.

“But coming back, I had put on quite a bit of weight and I had to work hard to get myself back in shape, especially to keep up with the new rules of the game.

“You had to be fitter than what I was when I last played. Getting my fitness and health back to the standard of Cup was tough.

“There was a lot of highlights through my career but the biggest one was when I was playing consistent footy, back around that 2018 mark when I got to debut in NRL.

“I wish I could have played more but I have to keep chipping away and hopefully get back there.”