{"id":913485,"date":"2026-10-02T13:20:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/913485\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T13:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:20:12","slug":"nrl-2026-salesi-foketi-had-to-trick-his-schoolmates-to-fly-over-to-play-for-roosters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/913485\/","title":{"rendered":"NRL 2026: Salesi Foketi had to trick his schoolmates to fly over to play for Roosters"},"content":{"rendered":"

It took one moment of magic against the Knights last year to find out about Salesi Foketi, but it took his classmates back in New Zealand a little longer to learn another secret about the emerging leader who mysteriously disappeared for a few months.<\/p>\n

Back in 2021 when he was 16, Foketi left St Paul\u2019s College in Auckland and made the trip to Sydney to play for the Roosters in the Harold Matts competition.<\/p>\n

They reached the semi-final where they lost to a Panthers side featuring Jermaine McEwen who will line up opposite him in Sunday\u2019s grand final. <\/p>\n

He stayed in Sydney as part of the Roosters Academy until April but never really told anyone why he was able to skip school after he was scouted by former Roosters recruitment boss Daniel Anderson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kept it pretty low-key,\u201d he told NewsWire.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few of the boys knew, and the staff and teachers knew I was coming over here to play Harold Matts. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey (my mates) just asked where I was and I said I was over in Australia playing footy. I didn\u2019t really say who for or what I was doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kept it pretty low-key and I actually had to give up one of the leadership roles at school to come over here and play that first season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leaving New Zealand at such a young age wasn\u2019t easy for Foketi, but it helped that Benaiah Ioelu and Cassius Tia were also travelling over to play. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty tough,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cLuckily enough I had Benaiah and Cassius Tia who flew over on the same flight, so we all went together. We made it pretty comfortable knowing there were three of us going over.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fairly comfortable for us to make that move. Thinking about leaving family was probably the hardest part about it all. <\/p>\n

\u201cMum didn\u2019t want to let me go; I was still the only boy and still a baby in her mind, so leaving mum, dad, and the family was the hardest part. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest with you, I was probably a bit spoiled growing up. Being the only boy, mum did everything. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had grandma and my granddad there, and dad drove me around and did everything. Moving here, that was probably the hardest part, learning to do things for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keeping on top of the washing was the hardest thing for a teenager trying to fit in to a new environment, while there was always one go-to meal no matter what time of day it was. <\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, most of the time I was having Weet-Bix for dinner,\u201d he grinned. <\/p>\n

\u201cDepends on the night. If I was really hungry I could get up to 12. I\u2019d have them with milk, honey, sometimes some peanut butter if I felt like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take him long to earn a shot in the NRL, with Foketi making his debut in the round one shellacking at the hands of the Broncos last year.<\/p>\n

That was a proper welcome to first grade moment, but he was then part of the inexperienced Roosters team that stunned the Panthers the following week.<\/p>\n

There were signs from the outset that he would be special, but it took until round 15 when he scored a stunning solo try from near halfway to beat the Knights \u2013 his only one in 2025 \u2013 for people to truly take notice. <\/p>\n

He has now developed into a genuine star on the left edge and has the chance to win a premiership ring less than two years after he was humbled on debut. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think round one would probably be my first welcome to first grade,\u201d he said, downplaying the left foot step, the goose step and the raw pace it took for him to score against the Knights. <\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in front of a big crowd in the first round last year was the real moment of realising this is what the NRL is. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think that was a part of it. I remember speaking to Robbo after the game and he said he always knew I had that side of attack in me, and it was more working on the little things. Luckily enough, I had the opportunity to do what I ended up doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally published as \u2018I could get up to 12\u2019: How Weet-Bix fuelled emerging star<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It took one moment of magic against the Knights last year to find out about Salesi Foketi, 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