Jailed former NRL prodigy Manase Fainu has made the heartbreaking decision to block his own brothers from visiting him in prison.
Manase debuted in the NRL with the Manly‑Warringah Sea Eagles in 2018 and quickly became their starting hooker, making 34 first‑grade appearances across the 2018–2019 seasons and scoring eight tries.
In 2019, he featured prominently in Manly’s finals campaign, playing in both the elimination and semi-final matches.
However, his promising career came to an abrupt halt after a 2019 stabbing incident led to his suspension under the NRL’s no‑fault stand‑down policy and, ultimately, a conviction for grievous bodily harm in 2022.
On October 25, 2019, Fainu was involved in a violent altercation at a church charity event in Wattle Grove.
During a brawl in the car park, he stabbed youth leader Faamanu Levi with a steak knife, puncturing the man’s lung and causing internal bleeding.
Manase Fainu was a promising hooker with the Manly Sea Eagles before he was convicted of stabbing a church leader
Manase was found guilty and sentenced to eight years in prison with a non-parole period of four years and three months
Manase’s brothers Sione, Samuela and Latu are all forging their own paths in the NRL with Wests Tigers
Witnesses identified Fainu – who was wearing a sling due to a shoulder injury – as the man holding the knife.
Despite pleading not guilty and claiming he fled after hearing someone yell ‘knife,’ a jury found him guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after just two hours of deliberation.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison in December 2022, with a non-parole period of four years and three months, and his appeal was dismissed the following year.
While Manase remains in jail, his siblings Sione, Samuela and Latu Fainu have been thriving at the Wests Tigers since joining the club.
Sione earned a spot in the top 30 squad and impressed with strong performances in 2024.
Samuela has become a regular in the forward pack, while Latu is emerging as a promising playmaker in the halves.
All three brothers made headlines recently when they each scored in the same match, helping the Tigers upset the Roosters.
Now Fainu, through his lawyer Paul McGirr, has told News Corp that he wants his brothers to stop visiting him in prison and focus on their own lives.
Latu is a rising playmaker who has stepped up after Lachlan Galvin departed the club earlier this season
Sione has become a regular in the Tigers forward pack after also joining the merger club
Samuela has played a total of 28 NRL games so far after also debuting for Manly and then moving to Wests Tigers
‘Manase is the eldest boy who led the charge for them all getting into footy,’ McGirr said.
‘He said to his brothers: ‘Don’t worry about me – I’ll be fine. Just take advantage of the opportunities that you’ve been given to play footy’.
‘Because he is so far away up there at Clarence, Manase told them to stay away and focus on their footy because they support the family. He wants them not to worry about him.
‘Manase follows the careers of his brothers closely on TV or through the newspapers. I speak to Manase and this is what he has told me. I’m in regular contact with him and will back him.’
Manase spends his prison time balancing a football program with groundskeeping duties and hopes to return to top-level rugby league when he’s released at 27.
‘He is a popular inmate that has something to offer in terms of giving fellow inmates some extra rugby league skills – passing, kicking, attack, the right techniques,’ McGirr said.
‘There are a lot of young blokes in there not doing long sentences who are actual park footy players.
‘It helps with their mental wellbeing. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Manase is giving them something to do and it helps take their minds off the dreary environment of a prison – hours upon hours are spent sitting around clockwatching.’
Latu and Sione Fainu have both been named for the Tigers side for their must-win clash against the Gold Coast Titans at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.
Tyrone May will play his first NRL game since early last year, after impressing with a hat-trick in NSW Cup for the joint-venture.
His return at centre comes after he was handed a lifeline by the Tigers following domestic violence charges last year while at Penrith.
