Francis Fainifo

Franky Fainifo has established himself as a regular member of the starting line-up for the CA Brumbies in 2008. Fainifo’s fancy footwork, powerful defence and calmness under the high ball has made him a crowd favourite at Canberra Stadium throughout the home season. Brumby Jack caught up with Franky in the lead-up to the CA Brumbies’ final home match of the season against the Lions on Friday night.

Brumby Jack: You’ve started in all but two games this season. What were the goals you set at the beginning of the year?
Francis Fainifo: My main goal for this year was to get some consistent time on the field to show what I’ve got. My other goals were to perform well and while I probably haven’t been as consistent as I would have liked, there have been some good patches. But that’s the good thing about playing with the Brumbies, everyone here is focused on making you into a better player and getting the most out of you. I’m still learning the game but it’s been a good season so far.

BJ: What sort of things do you want to work on in your own game?
FF: Consistency is the main thing but also being known throughout the organisation as a reliable and aggressive defender, and hard at the break down. I think one of my strengths is my feet and my ability to change direction. There are a lot of players out there that have awesome feet, I’ve been trying to work on it and really trying to develop that aspect of my game. There are guys like Coopy [Adam Ashley-Cooper] who are well known for their great footwork and being beside him definitely benefits that side of my game.

BJ: Are you feeling more confident within the side this year?
FF: Yeah, I feel more confident and I think that comes with playing more time, but I’ve still got a long way to go.

BJ: You’ve been getting a fair bit of air time with getting under the high ball is that something you’ve been working on?
FF: Yeah, that was also one of my goals was to be consistent under the high ball. [Julian] Huxley has been great for me in that area and he’s helping a lot of the younger guys out. At the beginning of the year he took me aside helped me out with the high ball and showed me how to approach it. So I’ve been a lot more confident under the high ball, not letting my eyes off the ball and working on my timing – it’s all about timing.

BJ: What are you expecting from the Lions this weekend?
FF: The Lions are a big team and they’re a big threat. Last year when we went to South Africa to play them in Johannesburg they were probably one of the hardest teams we faced when we were over there. We’re approaching this game the same as every other game and I’ll be trying to do my best and get over that line.