Whyte Hot: Naufahu on JWH, Hairstyles, Eli Katoa, and Plans to Become Game’s Top Prop
Payne Haas is widely recognized as the best front-rower in the game. The player destined to replace him will face him on Sunday. Roosters and New Zealand enforcer Naufahu Whyte has lost track of how many times he’s been compared to Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
First Encounter with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
Whyte vividly recalls the first day he met the legendary prop. At the end of 2020, during the ongoing COVID disruptions, the then 18-year-old Whyte arrived from New Zealand on a train-and-trial deal with the Roosters. While watching an NRL training session, Roosters coach Trent Robinson invited him to join a drill.
“I remember feeling honoured and starstruck when looking around and seeing the likes of Jared, Isaac Liu and Sio Siua Taukeiaho,” Whyte said this week. “I then took my first carry and got absolutely pumped. I didn’t know who had hit me at the time, but I got smoked. To my surprise, I looked up and it was Jared. He just stood over me, gave me that look, and didn’t say a word. I was like, ‘did that bro just hit me?’ He hit me so hard. I’m pretty certain it was shoulder to mouth.
Whyte continued, “I had trained in my own age group and always knew what was coming, but at that very moment, I knew I was with the big dogs. None of the boys came and helped me get up. Then we were doing recovery and Jared came up, shook my hand, and said, ‘nice to meet you, bro’.”
Determined to Rise as a Top Prop
Whyte aims to establish himself as a dominant prop, stepping into the role currently dominated by Payne Haas. His experiences and early challenges against tough competitors like Jared Waerea-Hargreaves have fueled his ambitions to become one of the game's leading front-rowers.
Author's summary: Naufahu Whyte's journey from an 18-year-old trialist to a leading prop highlights his grit, memorable first clash with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, and clear ambition to become the game's top front-rower.