With four tries to his name from the opening two matches of the NRL season, Vodafone Warriors flyer David Fusitu'a has every reason to be smiling.
The winger again bagged an athletic double as his team secured back-to-back triumphs, beating the Gold Coast Titans 20-8 at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday.
"It was a scrappy win, the Titans really came at us, but it just shows the resilience this side has," he said.
Fusitu'a has hit the ground running in 2018 following his Rugby League World Cup success with Tonga, where he produced a number of athletic finishes.
However, the 23-year-old was quick to credit the work of team-mates Tohu Harris and Peta Hiku for his try-scoring feats against the Titans.
"They draw in so many defenders, they have good footwork, so all I have to do most of the time is just put the ball down,'' he said.
Fusitua's second effort of the afternoon required a bit more effort than just "putting the ball down".
Halfback Shaun Johnson lofted a high kick across to the north-east corner of Mt Smart Stadium where Fusitu'a soared above Phillip Sami to seal the result for the hosts.
Fusitu'a revealed his eye-catching finishes are not something he particularly works on, but rather tend to happen naturally.
"I don't work on it a lot to be honest. It is more instinctive I guess,'' he said.
"If people are coming from the inside my first thought is to just jump and reach out and hope for the best."
The game was especially meaningful for Fusitu'a, with the Vodafone Warriors donating $5 from every ticket sold towards the Cyclone Gita relief efforts in his native Tonga.
It was awesome. They were hit pretty hard over there.
With more than 14,000 fans in attendance, Fusitu'a says the money raised will go a long way to helping the people of Tonga, many of whom are still struggling.
"It's awesome. They were hit pretty bad over there obviously and even now they are still trying to rebuild their lives so just to be able to lend a little hand is great," he said.
