Paul Vautin goes public with brutal claim about David Fifita after State of Origin snubbing
Fifita's omission from the Maroons Origin squad has been a massive talking point.
Maroons legend Paul Vautin has delivered David Fifita a brutal reality check after weighing in on the reason why he's been left out of the Queensland State of Origin squad. Billy Slater's decision not to pick the Titans powerhouse was one of the biggest talking points in the first two games of the series, but many thought the Gold Coast wrecking ball would get the nod for the Game 3 decider at Suncorp Stadium on July 17.
However, Slater has once again snubbed Fifita from his squad and instead opted to go with experienced back-rowers Kurt Capewell and Felise Kaufusi. The Maroons coach has consistently stated that Fifita has not reached the same heights he hit last season when featuring in all three Origin games for Queensland as they won the series.
Rumours have been circulating that Fifita's snub might be down to his decision to backflip on joining the Sydney Roosters, while others have suggested Slater wants players who get through more work and don't tend to float in and out of games like Fifita can. And Queensland legend Vautin says he reckons Fifita's omission comes down to his work off the ball, which the former Maroons coach described as "slack".
"Everyone is crying out about David Fifita - Billy can obviously see some deficiencies in David's game," Vautin told Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth this week. "One of them is that off the ball he is a bit slack. At the moment - I know he can score tries - but just off the ball he is a bit slack, and I think that's the reason Billy didn't pick him."
Darren Lockyer calls out David Fifita's workrate under fatigue
Another Maroons legend Darren Lockyer agreed with Vautin's comments earlier in the week, telling the 'QLDER' podcast that Queensland hierarchy have concerns that Fifita goes missing when he's fatigued or under pressure. "Dave has obviously found some form in the last few weeks and that's with the Titans going a bit better," Lockyer said.
"Billy watches a lot of football, he would have studied Dave over the last three weeks. I think the biggest thing for Dave to work on is that when he gets fatigued or tired, that's when the habits of an Origin player are important. That's just one part of Dave's game that he can be better at and if he takes that on board and takes the disappointment and knows that there are still little things he needs to get better... it's up to him now."
Slater's explanation for leaving Fifita out on the basis he hasn't reproduced his 2023 form don't exactly stack up though. Fifita has averaged 153 run metres per game in 2024, compared to 145m per game last season and he's already managed 22 offloads, six linebreaks and four tries. Fifita is also up almost 3% on his tackle efficiency from last season after operating at 93.27% in 2024.
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Fifita's numbers are also well up on Capewell - whose bene picked ahead of him to start on an edge for Queensland. Fifita averages more than double the run metres of Capewell (64m metres) this season, and offers much greater try-scoring threat with the veteran Warriors forward yet to register a four-pointer in 2024.
The presence of Fifita would also have given the Maroons some much needed size and power in their forward pack, with Maroons legend Wally Lewis worried the Blues pack could bully them again in Game 3. "We're lacking a bit of size," Lewis said. "It will be quite interesting to see how the other players respond. I'm sure Billy will be talking to the players and just saying to them that he's shown faith in them and it's about time they respond. They have another chance now to remind the coach that he made the right decision."
