David Fifita is expected to play for South Sydney next year, with the Rabbitohs eager to bring him in as a second row starter and the Gold Coast Titans more than happy to get him and his $1 million-a-season pay off their books.
The 25-year-old wrecking ball is still signed with the Gold Coast for another year but has been out of favour for most of 2025, even being dropped to QLD Cup for chunks of the still-ongoing campaign.
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It’s particularly damning for the Fifita-Titans relationship, considering the Gold Coast are still locked in a bitter struggle to avoid the wooden spoon, with only them and the Newcastle Knights doing their best to avoid finishing last. Many would consider Fifita a perfect match-winner to have in that tight battle – but the Titans don’t want a bar of him.
Things have been resolved this year anyway, with Fifita denied any chance to turn things around by a season-ending ankle injury that he’s now required to go away and have surgery on, but next year was already looming as a question.
In a win-win for both clubs, South Sydney has popped up with interest at just the right time.
Wayne Bennett is particularly keen to have a crack at the Fifita enigma, The Sporting Base understands.
Interestingly, Bennet has already been very public about his adoration, telling Ben Dobbins from 9News Queensland that he’d “love to have him at the Rabbitohs next year.” The veteran supercoach also confirmed that if the Bunnies signed Fifita, it would be as an immediate starter.
“He would love to have him at the Rabbitohs next year,” Dobbins said of his Bennett call.
“He believes his best football is still ahead of him. This looks like it will take place.”
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The biggest roadblock would have been Gold Coast trying to keep Fifita, but, as noted, the club isn’t particularly keen to keep him anymore. Beyond his poor motivation both on and off the field, as well as Des Hasler simply not rating him as highly as many in the game, the Titans bosses are also still furious that Fifita was all but signed with Sydney last year.
He then instead activated his Titans extension quite late in the whole process – after actually signing on the dotted line with the Roosters – and peeved both sides with his reversal; the Gold Coast had been halfway through future planning when they heard the news.
And so, they had resigned themselves to seeing out Fifita’s contract but had no plans to renew him beyond the 2026 expiry; the Rabbitohs taking him a year early solves a lot of their roster woes and gives them $1M to spend now.
One place that may immediately be headed is to Jayden Campbell, who just got a $4.5M extension offer.
