This article was taken directly from The Daily Telegraph with the permission of the writer Nick Walshaw. We appreciate Nicks assistance.
Canterbury's Tim Lafai on the up and up
For a long time he stood on the sideline alone because that's what the smallest kid does. He waits.
Standing there all oversized shirt and hopeful look; little black boots dangling from one hand as if to plead "hey fellas, let me come play ... please.
"And eventually, they did, ey," Canterbury rookie Tim Lafai recalls. "Jarryd Hayne, Israel Folau, Krisnan Inu, even the Paea boys were there. I was only 10, maybe 11, but they really looked after me."Sitting in the loungeroom of his parents' Minto home, Timoteo Lafai is finally outing himself as yet another member of what must surely be the greatest park pick-up games ever staged.
Matches which, played on a dusty footy oval only minutes from his house, have become rugby league's equivalent to those mystical Tasmanian waters in the James Boag beer commercials. You know, drop a Minto Housing Commission kid in, pull a NRL superstar out.
"Maybe it's coincidence, destiny, who knows?" Lafai shrugs. "But with so many games of footy going on in Sydney every day, you do wonder how so many NRL players could come from just one."
And not just NRL players, either.
Whatever the magic, this Minto mob has already produced one Kiwi international, two Tongans, even a pair of Kangaroos.
There's been the Hayne Plane and Paea pack. A $4 million AFL defection. And who could forget when Inu illuminated an entire NRL season with that goalkicking routine that was all giant smiles?And now there's Lafai.
This quietly spoken Christian boy - the son of a New Zealand pastor, no less - who within 12 months has gone from driving a DHL courier van and playing for East Campbelltown to replacing Canterbury ace Josh Morris, an international himself only 18 months ago, in the three-quarter line.
Honestly, Master Chef cakes rise slower than this bloke.
"So sometimes on the field I still get a bit ... err, starstruck," Lafai grins. "When we played the Dragons I was up against Mark Gasnier. Every time I tackled him it was like 'yes, he hasn't got past me'. Felt like a huge achievement."
Certainly not the only one, though.
No, not when you're the anonymous 93kg centre who scores on debut against South Sydney. Whose nickname of "TP" - for Turning Point - came after Canterbury scout Peter Mulholland threw you into last year's Toyota Cup side which, having lost six of its first seven games, then won 17 of the next 20.
And how does anyone with only a handful of NRL games keep a flyer like J-Moz in reserves even after scoring a NSW Cup hat-trick?
Speak with Canterbury insiders, however, and they insist this is all just the start for a fella whose greatest boast last year was "the courier who knew all the shortcuts and back alleys around Mascot". Whose down time was spent on the warehouse computer checking NRL stats and footage of guys such as Melbourne superstar Billy Slater.
"Although when you finally face him in real life," Lafai grins, "he goes even better."
Away from footy, this youngster is a committed Christian who spends much of his spare time helping dad Daniel build the Minto Worship Centre, which currently operates out of a nearby primary school hall.
"It's only a new church, so we're really in a growth phase right now," he says.
"Dad was on his late 20s when the church completely changed his life. He was on the beers and stuff, like most guys are I guess. But then he found God and has been preaching ever since."
While he may appear to fit the humble Islander role perfectly, Lafai also has a fair sense of humour judging by his player profile on the Canterbury Bulldogs website.Most treasured possession? My bible and hair products. Greatest fear? Having an '80s flat top. And when asked to name the three people he would most like to invite for dinner ... Danny Green, Anthony Mundine and a referee.
Lafai also admits to enjoying KFC, loving PlayStation and, having moved to Sydney from New Zealand with his family aged 10, dreams of playing Origin and representing the Kangaroos.
"Australia is my home and so, should I ever be lucky enough to get the opportunity, that's who I want to represent," he says. "But this whole past year, it's been incredible really.
"Like when I was first told about replacing Josh Morris, I guess I felt sorry for him. You don't want to see anyone lose their spot in first grade but, you know, it's an opportunity been given to me. I have to make the most of it."
Yep, seems little Timmy Lafai is finally finished waiting.
@nickwalshaw
walshawn@dailytelegraph.com.au
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