Video – Consistency key as Wakefield Trinity prop Dave Fifita prepares for champions Wigan Warriors
The powerful Australian prop scored two second-half tries in Friday’s 17-16 win over Huddersfield Giants, taking his tally for the season to five in just eight games.
But he mainly proved a driving force for Trinity through his surging carries, scattering defenders almost at will and eating up metres, to help see them strengthen their top-four position.
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Hide Ad“It was great,” admitted Fifita, Wakefield twice fighting back to level before Danny Brough’s 77th-minute drop-goal won it.
“We put ourselves in the top four last week and we just wanted to work on consistency.
“We got there in the end. It just shows what kind of team we are; we’re always in it right through to the last minute.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about as we’ve fallen just short against a couple of teams like Warrington and Saints.
“It just shows how much bond we have as a team.”
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Hide AdThe former Tonga international also had a try ruled out for double-movement in between his brace so was denied an unlikely hat-trick.
Asked his opinion on it, the 29-year-old said: “I don’t know. The ref was right there.
“He makes the calls at the end of the day.
“All I can say is the ball didn’t touch the ground so I just sat there and put it down! It is what it is.”
Having secured back-to-back home wins for the first time this year, Wakefield host troubled champions Wigan Warriors on Friday.
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Hide Ad“The mood’s good,” added Fifita, with Trinity now seeking a fourth victory in five matches.
“We’ve worked on a goal and so far we’re getting there.
“We’ll take it into this week’s game against Wigan and if we keep winning at home we should go better from there.”
Huddersfield had defended manfully for the second half until the relentless Fifita finally broke through them.
“We knew they’d be young and explosive, everyone wanting a chance,” he said.
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Hide Ad“That’s what we took from them; they were great and they have been for the last two weeks.
“We knew they’d be good and we didn’t take them lightly.”
Former Giants captain Brough secured the victory with a trademark drop-goal and Fifita recalled: “He was right behind me.
“I thought he was going to hit me on the back of my head. I actually put my head down!
“It’s one of his biggest aspects; his kicking game is great and there’s a lot of trust even between him and Jacob (Miller); if it goes to either one, it’s going over so that’s good.”
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Hide AdFifita, who Wakefield will strive to tie down to a new deal given he is out of contract at the end of the season, secured the maximum three Man of Steel points from that contest.
The panellist ruled the forward scored ‘two individual tries that changed the game’ and it is hard to argue otherwise.
He is up to sixth in the overall leaderboard with seven points. St Helens’ James Roby leads on 12.
Trinity centre Reece Lyne earned two points with Huddersfield’s two-try full-back Darnell McIntosh gaining the other point.