One of brightest talents in the NRL, Tigers teen sensation Heamasi Makasini burst onto the scene in a big way last season.
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This time last year, Makasini wasn’t even eligible for the NRL. He was too young. But one month after his 18th birthday, he was handed a debut jersey from coach Benji Marshall,
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Makasini made it count. The powerful outside back ran for 150 metres, recorded four tackle busts and scored a try in his first match at the top level.
Importantly, he didn’t die wondering. While Makasini strikes a very imposing figure for someone of his age, for an 18-year-old to record 19 hit-ups in his NRL debut, well, it’s pretty impressive.
“Benji just told me just to do my best and to get that first carry and then all the nerves and stuff will go away,” the modest Makasini told foxsports.com.au when recounting his Round 27 debut against the Titans.
Makasini is battling for a spot in Marshall’s backline when the Tigers open up their season against the Cowboys in Round 2 at Leichhardt Oval.
As it stands at the moment, he may have to bide his time given Jeral Skelton and Luke Laulilii are above him in the pecking order.
His youth and inexperience may play against him and his chances of locking down a spot in first grade but Makasini does have versatility on his side.
A dual-sport star in both rugby league and rugby union, Makasini has logged plenty of minutes in the centres in both sports. In fact, it’s his preferred position, but a move inside has been put on hold for now.
“I can play centre and wing. I love both positions,” he said.
“I’ll probably play wing for a bit. If there are injuries I’ll cover what’s needed but we’ll see what happens.”
For as long as he can remember, the highly-touted Makasini has fielded interest from league and union.
He was sought after early in life, signing a Tigers contract at just 14. Since then, he has resisted offers from Japanese rugby and Rugby Australia.
Handling pressure from such a young age would be tough for any young teen but Makasini has a mature head on his shoulders.
However it hasn’t been all smooth sailing, with Makasini noting negative reaction from some rugby corners after re-signing with the Tigers until the end of 2028 immediately after representing the Australian under 18s union side.
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“That’s where like the support comes in. I guess you need to have that strong support group to help you through it. But with me, I guess I didn’t really have that much difficulty with pressure,” Makasini said.
“Although at one stage there was a moment after I signed with Tigers straight after playing the Aussie School Boys for rugby union. Right after we beat NZ in NZ (in the final), that’s when I signed the contract.
“I was kind of sort of seeing the media, I was seeing people talking about it and saying, ‘oh you just played rugby union and then came back and signed with a rugby league team. To them, it’s kind of a backstab to them but at the end of the day, it’s my choice.
“My heart’s with rugby league”.
With his signature, Makasini decided he wanted to help the Tigers emerge from the depths of three straight wooden spoons and be apart of the young core to deliver the club’s starved fans of an overdue finals berth and much more.
He loves what Marshall is building and is excited at what his NRL future holds.
“Playing under Benji and on the same side as Romy (Jarome Luai). It’s pretty special,” Makasini said.
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