Tino Fa'asuamaleaui tips Wayne Bennett to make departing teammate 'best back-rower in the game'

Is Wayne Bennett the only coach that can bring the best out of David Fifita?

Only time will tell if that question, asked by Penrith great Greg Alexander, is proven correct, but Tino Fa'asuamaleaui believes the league has forgotten what his now former Titans teammate is capable of.

Fifita confirmed the end of his five-year journey with the Titans this week, announcing that he would be starting a new chapter in Sydney under Bennett at the Rabbitohs.

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The 25-year-old has long been linked to South Sydney, but the path he has taken to get to the club has not been simple.

Just 12 months ago, Fifita opted out of a deal with the Sydney Roosters.

Fifita then managed just eight games in first grade with the Titans in 2025, six of which he started from the bench, before he had his season cut short by an ankle injury.

Two surgeries on that injury extended his time on the sidelines and several years of underwhelming form have prompted Alexander to question whether signing him would pay off for Souths, even at a discounted price.

"The (financial) risk is minimal for Souths ... but would it be worth it?" Alexander said on SEN 1170.

"We just have to see how he goes. However, the history is not good with the Broncos and the Titans.

"He was going to go to the Sydney Roosters but he opted to stay there at the Titans but did nothing all year."

While Alexander's views have frequently been raised in regards to Fifita in 2025, many players like Adam Reynolds and Fa'asuamaleaui have backed the second-rower's move, especially if it means he will reunite with the coach who gave him his debut in the NRL.

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In his 11 appearances under Bennett in 2018, Fifita and the Broncos only lost four games.

Those performances proved to be enough to earn a regular spot in the side the following season under coach Anthony Seibold, although the club's results were not the same.

The 2019 season saw Fifita feature in just 10 wins in 24 appearances for the Broncos.

Since that season, Fifita has only once been in a team that finished inside the eight.

But that statistic does not change Fa'asuamaleaui's view of Fifita.

"He is a beast," the Titans captain, who is currently touring with Australia in the Ashes, told 9News Sydney about Fifita.

"The Rabbitohs have got a good one. He does work hard and he wants to get better every day.

"I know Wayne will make him tick, which that is actually a scary thought.

"A lot of people have forgotten what David can do. When he gets it right, he will let everyone know that he is the best back-rower in the game."