Fairleigh Good!
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St Helens today announced the very badly kept secret that they have signed two of Samoa's star players from the Rugby Union World Cup.
23 loose forward Maurie Fa'asavalu will play prop/second row and 25 year old Dominic Feaunati will play on the wing.
Ian Millward watched the two players on the recommendation of fitness coach and former Samoan international Apollo Perellini during the World Cup. It has taken three months work for Saints to pull off the double signing, with both players receiving offers from Super 12, French Union sides including Biaritz, English Zurich Premiership clubs and New Zealand Union teams.
Fa'asavalu was singled out for much praise from journalists during the World Cup after a string of blockbuster performances, and Feautani at nearly 18 stone has scored 5 tries in 5 displays for Samoa since impressing at World Cup trials.
Both players quoted Saints' family approach to the off the field management, plus Apollo Perelini's influence as key reasons for them rejecting offers from Union sides to play League for the first time since school. It sounds like Saints were far nicer on the phone than the Union teams, as one of the lads said in the interviews that the Saints representatives were asking questions about how their families were, where the Union teams just wanted ink on paper with no niceties.
The best thing to hear was one of them say that it is a total dream to play Rugby League after watching it all their lives, and to follow in the footsteps of local legends like Apollo Perelini, Fereti Tuilagi and Vila Matautia.
A great shot in the arm for League really considering the calibre of the Union clubs that wanted them. I really feel the South Sea's should be farmed ruthlessly now after the Union officaldom is still not releasing any funding to help them develop.
I think the NRL and Super League should have a 'free islander' promotion where any islander who is a current Union international that is signed by a deadline will be exempt from the cap for the duration of their initial contract. If we did that we would have another team to play in our World Cup :lol: It may also shut up clubs like the greedy Roosters as they could sign the best of the bunch and pay him millions :lol:
I am sure the two will become immortal legends at St Helens if they are anything like Perelini or Tuilagi, I've missed having the excitement their enthusiasm for the game creates.
23 loose forward Maurie Fa'asavalu will play prop/second row and 25 year old Dominic Feaunati will play on the wing.
Ian Millward watched the two players on the recommendation of fitness coach and former Samoan international Apollo Perellini during the World Cup. It has taken three months work for Saints to pull off the double signing, with both players receiving offers from Super 12, French Union sides including Biaritz, English Zurich Premiership clubs and New Zealand Union teams.
Fa'asavalu was singled out for much praise from journalists during the World Cup after a string of blockbuster performances, and Feautani at nearly 18 stone has scored 5 tries in 5 displays for Samoa since impressing at World Cup trials.
Both players quoted Saints' family approach to the off the field management, plus Apollo Perelini's influence as key reasons for them rejecting offers from Union sides to play League for the first time since school. It sounds like Saints were far nicer on the phone than the Union teams, as one of the lads said in the interviews that the Saints representatives were asking questions about how their families were, where the Union teams just wanted ink on paper with no niceties.
The best thing to hear was one of them say that it is a total dream to play Rugby League after watching it all their lives, and to follow in the footsteps of local legends like Apollo Perelini, Fereti Tuilagi and Vila Matautia.
A great shot in the arm for League really considering the calibre of the Union clubs that wanted them. I really feel the South Sea's should be farmed ruthlessly now after the Union officaldom is still not releasing any funding to help them develop.
I think the NRL and Super League should have a 'free islander' promotion where any islander who is a current Union international that is signed by a deadline will be exempt from the cap for the duration of their initial contract. If we did that we would have another team to play in our World Cup :lol: It may also shut up clubs like the greedy Roosters as they could sign the best of the bunch and pay him millions :lol:
I am sure the two will become immortal legends at St Helens if they are anything like Perelini or Tuilagi, I've missed having the excitement their enthusiasm for the game creates.
