Sonny Fai goes over for the Warriors' only try in their win over Melbourne in July last year. Photo / Kenny Rodger
The 20-year-old's ascent wasn't quite a certainty, and his 2008 debut season in the NRL could be rated as reasonable but not exceptional.
But he had outstanding raw material, and was on the right track at a club that had finally found its feet under intelligent coaching ideals
and strong player leadership.
Fai was a very big man for league, at 1.92m and 109kg. He made his NRL first-grade debut last year, playing 15 matches and scoring five tries.
About half of his appearances were from the interchange bench, while he switched between the centres and second row in his starts.
Fai was a classic athlete - big, strong and fast with excellent foot movement - although he had yet to show hands to match at the highest level. At the Warriors, he was regarded as a typical South Auckland kid and never caused a moment's bother.
He had long been predicted as a star of the future, signing for the Warriors as a 14-year-old and attracting interest from other clubs before being re-signed last year until 2010.
Fai struggled to get a high involvement in matches during his debut season. He played his first match in the second round against the Eels at Mt Smart Stadium but faded from first grade late in the year, missing the finals series.
Another of the club's youngsters, the similar sized second-rower Ben Matulino, had overtaken him in the pecking order at that point.
But Fai was a serious work in progress, and the word was that a patient development would bring huge rewards.
His season highlight? Probably scoring the Warriors' only try in their low-scoring win over 2007 champions Melbourne on a bleak Auckland day in late July. He was also named in the New Zealand (and Samoan) training squads for the World Cup, although he missed making the final Kiwi cut.
When contemplating Fai's potential, those who have followed him will think back to the Junior Kiwis' thrilling win over Australia at Wellington in October 2007, and Fai's power and offloads.
Tragically, Fai's career is now a case of what might have been.
