Having played 140 NRL games, including a tick over a century for the Sutherland club, Fifita, certainly amongst the most controversial figures in the game, is at the end of his fifth season at The Shire. This year, for the first time since 2013, he played all three games of an Origin series. He’s in the form of his career and his stats across this season prove it, especially when compared to his NRL peers.

The Sharks’ dependence on the former Wests Tigers young gun is obvious when you consider that, of all the players in the league in 2016, Fifita has made the second-most runs. Even after clocking up 18 carts-of-the-ball against the North Queensland Cowboys on Friday night, Fifita is still 50-odd behind Canterbury skipper James Graham, so that highlights the Bulldogs’ reliance on their engine room man. Nevertheless, Fifita’s workload is phenomenal for a bloke of his size.  

Humans who are 194cm tall and who weigh 116kg aren’t meant to cover as much ground as this Blacktown-born giant. Sure, throw them out onto an NFL field and they’d be fine … but most of them certainly wouldn’t be able to successfully trail speedsters like James Maloney and Chad Townsend, waiting for offloads like Fifita does. He recorded 163m against the Cowboys and now sits fourth in the All Run Metres category, still led by the Cows’ Jason Taumalolo.

Not surprisingly for a bloke of his colossal size, opponents are rarely able to stop Fifita when he gets a head of steam. He mustn’t look as big out on the field as he does on TV or from the stands because his rivals are never afraid to test themselves against his frame.

He sits fourth in hit-ups, having made 366 for the season, including 17 against the Cows. Most of the time his challengers just bounce off. He simply swats would-be front-on tacklers away. Sure, often they have numbers seven or less on their back, but it makes you wonder how they get in Fifita’s way in the first place. (Aren’t they supposed to be the smart ones on the field?)

Just when defenders think they have the big man covered, he’ll find another low level of gear and push or spin his torso out of a tackle and keep running, at pace. We all know the old saying about how players can’t run without legs, but his rivals rarely choose to go down that avenue. Fifita’s pure leg power is the reason why.

If you’re starting to doubt the Indigenous All Star’s ability and effectiveness as a ball-handler, consider that he’s third in the league in offloads. THIRD. He’s thrown 69 of them so far in 2016 and will probably toss a heap more as the Sharks try to keep the Storm guessing on Sunday night.

Sure, Maloney is cheeky and clever, and Holmes is lightning-fast out wide, but the key man in Cronulla’s quest to beat Melbourne on Sunday night will be Fifita. Don’t be surprised if he leaves ANZ Stadium with the Clive Churchill medallion hanging around his neck, win or lose …