Tino Fa'asuamaleaui will captain the Gold Coast Titans in 2022, despite it being only his second year at the club.
The 21-year-old joined the Titans from Melbourne last season, immediately making an impact as the club returned to finals football.
Fa'asuamaleaui has already cemented himself as one of the best locks in the competition, already representing Queensland at State of Origin on six occasions.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook was full of praise for the 'natural-born leader' and believes he has earned the respect of the senior players at the club.
“Tino is a natural leader and he has been that with us since he first arrived at the club. He sets such high standards and I love that about Tino," he said.
“He is someone who leads with his actions, he demands a lot of himself and others and they are great qualities in a captain.
“Tino is part of an exciting new wave of Titans that are invested in bringing success here to the Coast.
“He’s a player that has great respect from his peers, including our senior players like Kevin Proctor, Isaac Liu and Corey Thompson.”
Fa'asuamaleaui has played just 49 NRL games to date since making his debut back in 2019, and tasted premiership success with Melbourne in 2020.
Titans CEO Steve Mitchell was also quick to acknowledge Tino as the embodiment of what the club is trying to build.
“As a club we work to make our communities proud, to inspire them with energy and ultimately unite them through success," he said.
“Tino is the embodiment of this and our value set, whether he is in a Titans jersey or out in our great community.
“He sets high standards around our core behaviours when it comes to our club values and his work ethic is phenomenal.
“We’re confident that Tino will be a wonderful leader for our Club and we’re delighted for him and his family that he will get the opportunity this season.”
Fa'asuamaleaui is signed with the Titans until the end of 2026, after inking a long-term contract extension at the end of last season .
