Vaimauga: It was tough but I feel like it set me up

Demitric Vaimauga puts his meteoric rise with the Warriors down to the raw experience he was given as a 17-year-old member of the club's Queensland-based NRL COVID-19 bubble.

Despite Vaimauga being ineligible to play NRL at that age, the Warriors decided to bring the young gun from New Zealand to Australia as part of their extended squad during the 2022 season.

It was a move which is now paying dividends, with Vaimauga being given an opportunity to solidify himself in the Warriors pack after skipper Mitch Barnett was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.

“It's pretty unfortunate for our fearless leader to go down but, like what I've said a couple of times, I'm backing the coach," he said.

"We just have to do our job, do it well, and everything will take care of itself.”

Vaimauga has been contracted to the Warriors since he was 15-years-of-age, indicating that officials have had their sights on the rookie forward being a part of the Auckland-based club's future for some time.

The 21-year-old, who recently changed his surname from Sifakula to honour his mother Ange, has re-signed with the Warriors until the end of the 2028 season in a deal which is one of the longest at the club.

“The club has showed a lot of faith in me and since I was young, so it's good to be here long term and I hope I can stay here for the rest of my career,” he said.

The Ōtāhuhu Leopards junior, who last year became a father, is grateful for the opportunity to relocate with the Warriors to Australia at such a young age during Covid.

He was based in Redcliffe with the Warriors in 2022 where he trained with the NRL squad and played for the Dolphins in the QRL under-20s competition.

The strike second-rower said that the valuable experience of being in an NRL-system has benefited his development as a professional athlete.

"It was a massive jump from being at home to being in a house for like six weeks, with no contact with the outside world, to go straight into a pre-season," he said.

"It was mind blowing. I went in during Covid, and spent two weeks in isolation. That was a bit weird, then I moved over to Redcliffe.

“It was tough, but I got experience, and I feel like it’s set me up to be the player I am today.”

After making his NRL debut in 2023, Vaimauga played three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury and he returned late last year to play another four matches.

Playing all 13 matches this season, he has now cemented himself in the Warriors side and starred in a dominant 40-10 Round 14 win over the Sharks, scoring a try and producing a try assist. 

After a bye last weekend, Vaimauga has again been named on the interchange for Saturday's match against the Panthers at Go Media Stadium as the Warriors aim to maintain their position near the top of the NRL ladder.