CAIUS Faatili has opened up on the journey which took him from working in a biscuit factory to terrace cult hero at Wakefield Trinity.
The 23-year-old forward was plucked from the part-time ranks of the Queensland Cup with Sunshine Coast Falcons by Daryl Powell’s side for their return to the Betfred Super League in 2025 and rapidly became a fan-favourite among the Trinity faithful.
Faatili jumped at the chance to move to the other side of the world on a one-year contract to fulfil a long-held ambition of playing rugby league full-time, having previously combined the sport with day-jobs including working for the producer of one of Australia’s most iconic snacks at their factory in the Brisbane suburb of Virginia.
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“My first main job was at Arnott’s, which, if you know Tim-Tams, is a biscuit factory,” Faatili told BBC Radio Leeds.
“It wasn’t too good for the waistline and it was probably one of the reasons why I didn’t get too far [with rugby league] in Australia!
“Coming over here was my first full-time gig as a footy player, so I was keen to do that. It’s always been a dream just to play rugby league…and Wakefield gave me that opportunity.
“It’s still quite surreal coming over here, it’s all been a big journey so far, but I’m loving every minute of it.”
Faatili’s move to Wakefield was something of a whirlwind, making the decision to join barely two weeks after initial contact from the West Yorkshire side.
Despite linking up with Trinity on the eve of the 2025 season getting under way, he was able to hit the ground running and has managed 20 appearances so far this year.
Faatili has proved a try-scoring threat too, scoring twice three games in succession in May and having a total of seven to his name so far.
The tries have dried up of late, yet he is determimed to keep putting himself in positions to score along with doing the parts of the game more associated with those in the pack as Wakefield aim to secure a play-off place in their first season back in the top flight.
“I’ve been in a bit of a drought lately, but they come when they come,” Faatili said.
“I don’t know what’s going on lately, I haven’t been able to cross over the line, but those tries I have scored don’t have to do too much. It just hitting a line.
“I’ve always tried to dot over the line. I got around eight last year in the Queensland Cup, so it’s something I strive to do.
“You don’t really go out there to score tries, you just go out there to do your job, but I do like to score tries.”