"Spectacular": Gardiner praises Fifita in official club debut

Perth Bears’ assistant coach Ben Gardiner has been seriously impressed by David Fifita’s performance following South Sydney’s first match for the season.

Having played only eight games for the Titans last season, there has been plenty of speculation as to whether the 26-year-old could recapture the form that saw him represent Queensland in 2023 with the Rabbitohs.

And in his NRL club debut on Sunday, Fifita played an important role in their 40-30 win over the Dolphins.

Spending 71 minutes on the field, the second rower ran for 171 metres whilst managing three tackle breaks and a try assist.

Reflecting on his first proper outing in red and green, Gardiner believes his addition to Wayne Bennett’s side has only elevated what was already a strong left edge for the Bunnies, which already had Latrell Mitchell and Alex Johnston.

“Yeah, spectacular,” the Samoa coach said on SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.

“I thought he was really strong. Some of his lines into the (Dolphins) defensive line and his direct lines to find his offload to set up some tries and opportunities for the team.

“What a potent edge, hey. It’s funny when you coach a team, you talk about needing to have potency on the left-hand side and the right-hand side.

“But if I was coaching South Sydney at the moment, I would be laying my line over on the right-hand side of the post and then coming back to the left as much as possible.

“Like Alex Johnston, how lucky are you?”

South Sydney will next feature at Allianz Stadium against their rivals, the Sydney Roosters, on Friday.

Image credit: South Sydney Rabbitohs' media department