Charity hero Caius Faatili hopes Wakefield are cut above Wolves in Grand Final
Wakefield face their first ever Super League grand final this weekend
Wakefield prop Caius Faatili has good cause to hope his side remain a cut above the opposition when they face Warrington in their first ever Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Faatili will be cheered on by young Trinity fan Sammy Balmforth, whom he joined in a charity head-shave last year in aid of the children’s cancer charity Candlelighters.
The 24-year-old’s gesture further endeared him to the fans at the DIY Kitchens Stadium who had grown used to the sight of Faatili and his hefty mullet flapping his way through opposition defences.
Sammy is continuing to recover from leukemia and Faatili, who joined Wakefield as a relative unknown from Australian Queensland Cup side Sunshine Coast Falcons in January 2025, says the young fan’s fight puts his sport in sharp perspective.
“Sammy’s going to be there on Saturday and it’s been awesome to see his progress,” said Faatili. “He’s had a couple of setbacks but the way he’s fought through them has been a lesson to all of us.
“It is a reminder to me that I’m in an awesome position, living out my dream, and what this means to so many people like Sammy who have been supporting this club through thick and thin.”
Wakefield’s route to their first ever final was anything but a close shave. They thumped hot favourites Wigan 33-6 at the Brick Community Stadium on Saturday night to put them 80 minutes from a first league title since 1968.
Faatili laughed off the suggestion of garnering cult-hero status and added: “We could be all be cult heroes if we win this week. But we’re not putting too much pressure on ourselves.
“We thrive on the underdog mentality and wanting to go out there and knock off some of the big names, and that’s what we managed to do with a full 80-minute performance on Saturday.
“But we’ve got one more job to do, and it’s got to change from underdogs to favourites one day. We’re trying to shine week in, week out, and what people on the outside decide about us doesn’t really make any difference.”
Faatili is just one of a number of overseas signings who have come into the club as relative unknowns as part of the careful building process instigated by owner Matt Ellis when he took over a side on the verge of relegation in 2023.
But they have quickly gelled into one of the domestic game’s most formidable units and Faatili credits veteran head coach Daryl Powell, who will get a second shot at a Grand Final win as a coach after leading out Castleford at Old Trafford in 2017.
“Daryl gets the best out of the boys and he certainly gets the best out of me,” added Faatili. “I feel like this is the best footy I’ve played in my career and he is a big part of that. He tells us – trust in your talent and just go out and believe in yourselves.”