Glen Fisiiahi could have settled on a successful career in Rugby League, but the 25-year old speedster has taken a leap of faith and will debut for the Chiefs this year in Super Rugby.
Fisiiahi isn’t the first league player to make the switch to union and he certainly wont be the last, but if given opportunities in 2016, the former Warrior could be a big buy for the Chiefs.
League Convert Glen Fisiiahi Faces Steep Learning Curve At Chiefs
Fisiiahi admits the learning curve has been monumental during pre season and is still, just a month out from the competition beginning, getting used to the basics of the game.
“It is a whole lot different that an NRL environment”, Fissiahi said.
Fisiiahi says some of the challenges during training have been trying to find the right lines to run with ball in hand.
“In league you sort of just get the ball and go for it, but here it is much more of a structural sort of thing,” Fisiiahi said.
The utility back is a small fish in a big tank at the Chiefs.
With so many playmaking options throughout the backline, choosing the Chiefs as his first professional union club was the best option for Fisiiahi.
Dave Rennie, head coach of the Chiefs, has a proven track record of cutting fresh young talent, often unproven at any level, turning nobody’s into somebody to watch within a season.
But on a professional level, Fisiiahi has next to no experience playing union.
In fact, the last time Fisiiahi played any form of union was back in secondary schools for Wesley College, alongside good friend Augustine Pulu.
Fisiiahi was touted to be a big thing in rugby league, playing on the wing and at fullback for the Warriors in the NRL and raking up 60 points from 25 games with 15 tries.
Fisiiahi also represented Tonga at an international level in league.
A big focus for Fisiiahi in his first year playing union is to manage his body and keep injury free, while pushing himself to the edge to get selected as a starter for the Chiefs.
It is still early days for Fisiiahi, and one gets the feeling that the transition from NRL to Super Rugby has been harder than the 25-year old first thought.
“It is harder in terms of the learning side of things, but with the support and the help of the coaching staff it has been good because they are always willing to help me out,” Fisiiahi said.
The Chiefs officially begin their Super Rugby campaign against the Crusaders on February 27.
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