Rhinos new signing David Fusitu’a targeting a big year with Leeds and Tonga

IT DID not take long for David Fusitu’a to make his mark with Leeds Rhinos but he maintains things are only going to get better once Super League starts.

The towering Tonga winger - one of a raft of high-profile signings for the competition this season - caught the eye with a rattling tackle on Hull FC’s Davy Litten during his debut in Sunday’s testimonial for Tom Briscoe.

Fusitu’a had an impact in the NRL chiefly with his try-scoring feats where he scored 61 tries in 108 games for New Zealand Warriors.

But that shuddering challenge reminded everyone he is more than just a prolific try-scorer.

“You have to make reads on the edge,” said the former New Zealand international.

“You don’t make many tackles out there on the wing.

“But I guess with the ones you do make, you have to make them count…

“It was good to finally get out and play along with the boys who I’ve been training with since I got here.

“It was a tough match and good to get a blow-out. I know it’ll get a lot harder in the season and there’s a lot of good teams out there - it’s a high quality competition - but I’m looking forward to it.”

Leeds fans, too, will undoubtedly be excited by the prospect of seeing the dynamic 27-year-old lighting up Super League.

He played in the Warriors’ opening five games last term before being sidelined by a long-term injury so he is keen to make up for lost time after moving to the other side of the world.

Fusitu’a has formed a new right-edge partnership with Harry Newman, the exciting young centre who hopes to be part of England’s World Cup plans at the end of the season.

“He’s rapid; he’s really explosive,” said Fusitu’a, when asked about his team-mate.

“He’s a freakish player from what I’ve seen so far and just some of the things he can do.

“You could see the run he made on the weekend before he picked a little injury, it was real incisive.

“I’m looking forward to playing outside him.”

Newman came off early with a hamstring strain in in the game against Hull after making that stunning break for Kruise Leeming’s try.

He confirmed yesterday he is “touch and go” for Rhinos’ Super League opener against Warrington Wolves on Saturday week.

Meanwhile, Fusitu’a is hoping a big year in Super League can help him secure a place in the Tonga squad for the World Cup.

The Aucklander played for New Zealand in the 2016 Four Nations final but, like his Kiwi team-mate Jason Taumalolo and Australia prop Andrew Fifita, switched to Tonga for the World Cup the following year.

They came within seconds of reaching the 2017 World Cup final and have enjoyed a surge which has seen them beat world champions Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain in recent times.

Fusitu’a said: “Although a lot of us were born in Australia and New Zealand we have very strong connections in Tonga.

“My parents were both born in Tonga and there was a sense of giving back to them for the sacrifices they made for us as kids to give us a better life.

“It was pretty cool to give back to them and represent them and all our families back in Tonga.

“We don’t have too much back home, but what we have we’re grateful for.

“There’s a lot of talent running around in Tonga and if the boys come with the same attitude or even better than we did five years ago, then we can go a long way and maybe even go a step further,” he said.

Moreover, after the earthquake and tsunami that recently brought such havoc on the Pacific island, Fusitu’a is keen to give them a lift.

“We are fortunate my family are safe, but a lot of the land and agriculture were pretty much wiped out,” he said.

“It definitely feels like there will be an emotional attachment to it at the World Cup. That will only be a good thing for our team.”