‘We don’t forget our people’: Tonga welcome Manase Fainu into camp on day release from jail

Manase Fainu made a surprise cameo at Tonga training on Tuesday while on day release and wearing an ankle monitor.

Fainu, 28, is set to be released on parole on Friday after spending almost four years behind bars, and will spend his first few days of freedom watching his younger brother, Latu, and his former Tongan teammates play in the World Cup against Samoa on Sunday.

The former Manly and Tonga representative was found guilty of stabbing of a Mormon youth leader at a church dance three years earlier in 2019.

Now he has served his time for his crime, Fainu was always going to be welcomed back by the Tongan community, who turned out in force at Wentworth Park to watch their idols train.

John Hopoate, who has been a regular on the Tonga backroom staff for the past decade, was one of the first to greet Fainu as he made his way to the sideline at training.

“We don’t forget our people who have been here before,” Hopoate said. “He made a mistake, he knows that, we know that, but we won’t forget about him – he’s family. He’s done his time and we won’t keep judging him, we’ll embrace him. He certainly looked fit.”

Fainu is eager to return to playing rugby league. His three brothers, Latu, Sione and Samuela – who inked a two-year extension last weekend – are all contracted to the Wests Tigers.

Fainu attempted to play in the South Sydney A-grade competition when he was granted weekend release earlier this year, only to be denied by the NSW Rugby League – who cited, among other reasons, the safety risk he would have posed while playing with a bulky ankle bracelet.

He watched Tonga’s big win over Lebanon last Friday from the family home while on release.

Whether Fainu plays in the NRL again – his last game was a semi-final appearance for Manly in 2019 – is now up to the NRL, who will rule on whether to register any contract offered to the player.

Hopoate pointed out that his son Jamil had served time in jail in 2014, for assaulting a man in a Sydney pub, but had played in the NRL after spending time in reserve grade while on probation.

Meanwhile, players have been swamped with requests from family and friends to watch Sunday’s blockbuster between Tonga and Samoa at CommBank Stadium, which sold out weeks ago. Some players have been offered up to $400 if they can source tickets.

Hopoate asked why World Cup organisers did not move the fixture to Allianz Stadium, where another 10,000 fans could have been accommodated.

This masthead revealed on Sunday that officials wanted to play the game at Accor Stadium, where at least 60,000 fans were expected, only to be denied because K-pop sensation Bigbang will perform a night earlier in front of at least 70,000 fans, with no time to prepare the pitch.