Phillip Sami

The moment Sami knew he belonged at the Titans
http://www.nrl.com

Gold Coast Titans hat-trick hero Phillip Sami was worried he wouldn't get a spot in the side at the start of pre-season until coach Garth Brennan extended and upgraded his contract until the end of 2020.

It was at that moment the 20-year-old winger felt like he belonged. His three-try effort against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night showcased the class Brennan had identified.

Sami, who played four Telstra Premiership games in 2017, knew there were some quality outside backs in the contest for a wing spot and didn't think he would play round one with Brendan Elliot, Brenko Lee and Tyronne Robert-Davis in the mix.

"When I heard that Garth wanted to extended my contract I thought that he obviously believes I can do something at this club," Sami said.

"Then round one started and there were injuries to Brenko Lee and Brendan Elliott and he sat down with me and said 'you are not in this team because of those injuries. You were always in my team'. That really gave me a big confidence boost.

"My goal in the pre-season was to work hard and show Garth I was capable of playing first grade and he gave me a crack and I am grateful for that. Hopefully, I can cement my spot on the left wing for the rest of the year."

Brennan said his decision to keep Sami at the club had several elements to it.

"Part of my portfolio and vision for the club when I came here was to lock up our good kids like Phillip Sami and we also extended and upgraded front-rower Moeaki Fotuaika," Brennan told NRL.com

"We want to build this club around young guys like Phillip and not lose them like the Gold Coast has in the past."

Sami, a Goodna Eagles junior who represented the Queensland under 20s last year, also set up a try with a cross-field bomb against the Broncos and showcased all the skills a modern winger to vindicate Brennan's decision.

"Another reason why we extended him in the pre-season was because he really stood up with his energy, his enthusiasm and his willingness to learn," Brennan said.

"He's brave and he carries the ball back really strong and they are the things I look for in outside backs.

"Phillip got a taste of first grade last year and that just fuelled the fire for him in the pre-season and is why he came out and trained the way he did.

"He wasn't thrown into the side because there was an injury. He was thrown in because he was the standout in pre-season."

Sami came through the Titans under 20s system after being scouted while playing for Easts Tigers in the Mal Meninga Cup when he also had some interest from Melbourne.

"I came to the Gold Coast Titans because I thought there was more opportunity to me to play NRL and I am very grateful that I did," Sami said.

"My family wasn't happy with my decision because they wanted me to go to the Melbourne Storm but my mum said 'do what makes you happy'."

Sami, who has a goal to make 15 or more carries each game he plays, had the best game of his short career against the Broncos and certainly remains happy with his decision to choose the Titans.

"As a young kid, playing at Suncorp in front of a packed house is something I've always dreamed of, " he said.

"To get the hat-trick is something I never thought I would do."

These articles need to be sent out via JRL clubs Newsletters or FB posts to all the developing players on the Gold Coast to show there is a pathway via the Titans.

Sami’s secret to try success
http://www.gcbulletin.com.au

PHILLIP Sami should be picking up the phone sometime this week and thanking his cousin for the torturous summer regimen that helped him become an NRL regular.

Sami scored three tries in the Titans’ shock win against Brisbane on Sunday night to continue his journey from NRL newcomer to regular.

At the rate he’s progressing, Sami will be hard to dislodge from Garth Brennan’s team. It’s no surprise after the work he put in over the off-season.

A talented teen, Sami represented Queensland at under-20 level last year and broke through to make his NRL debut as the Titans suffered a shocking injury toll.

But he knew if he was to cement a place under the new coach, he needed to do more.

“During the off-season I made it a goal of mine to come back fitter than I was last year and I did that,” Sami revealed recently.

“It was all conditioning, just running and stuff, just to fill the lungs up and come back better than I did last year.

“I did that with my cousin pretty much the whole off-season, we did gym together and everything.”

Sami’s cousin, Bradley Sami

– a former Tigers under-20 squad member – encouraged, poked and cajoled his young mate into slogging it out through a sweltering southeast Queensland summer to ensure he made the most of his chance of a career in elite footy.

“He was a big factor to me coming back fitter than I was last year and I’m very grateful for that,” Sami said.

“We’d go running down to the local park and then we would go the gym at (Ipswich) Jets and he would tell me to get up and go training.

“I’d wake up (in the heat) and go, ‘I don’t want to do it today’. But he’d tell me to get up or he’d come to my house to pick me up so I wouldn’t have an option.”

Sami’s dedication was rewarded in the off-season when the Titans extended his contract until 2020, tying up the young back, whose speed and footwork make him equally at home on the wing, in the centres or at fullback.