LEON Fukofuka is desperate to play for the Wildfires against Manly on Saturday before joining the Tongan squad in New Zealand for a series of Tests that will determine if the Pacific Island nation competes at the 2023 Wolrd Cup.
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The fact that the regular scrum half will line up at inside centre against the Marlins at Manly Oval doesn't matter.
A calf strain to Sonni Halanukona has forced a reshuffle in the backline.
Fokofuka moves into the 12 jumper and pint-sized 20-year-old Nick Murray comes in at halfback.
"Leon played at inside centre for the last 20 minutes in the win over Western Sydney and killed it," Wildfires coach Scott Coleman said. "He has the size for it. He ran the ball, off loaded in contact and straightened the attack up. He was really good."
Fukofuka, who played for Tonga at the 2019 World Cup, joins Samoan back-rowers Henry Stowers and OJ Noah on international duties,
The trio will miss four games.
Noah and Stowers, who has spent the past two months with the ACT Brumbies, flew out last Saturday for a training camp in Wellington.
Samoa will play New Zealand Maori in a friendly before two World Cup qualifiers against Tonga.
Tonga will play a warm-up game against the All Blacks before taking on the fellow Pacific nation.
The loser of the qualifiers will get a second chance at securing a spot in Paris against the Cook Islands the following week.
Coleman had offered to rest Fokofuka but the 25-year-old was adamant that he wanted to play.
"He wants to play," Coleman said. "They three of them are all really committed. OJ tried to change his flight to the Sunday but they needed him in camp on Saturday."
Fukofuka's move is the only change to the side which beat Western Sydney Two Blues 43-11 a fortnight ago.
Breakaway Joe Tamani, who has been training with the NSW Waratahs, starred with a hat-trick against the Two Blues.
"We still weren't great but we had a good win," Coleman said. "The opening 60 minutes we made too many unforced errors which killed us. But thankfully we clicked in the final 20 minutes.
"We have to stop making cheap turnovers. I 'dont mind them making a mistake when they are trying to create something, but simple knock-ons are a result of just not switching on and poor rugby IQ."
The Wildfires sit in 10th spot, one above the Marlins.
"It is a good chance for us to jump up the table," Coleman said. "The top six all play each other and we could move up a spot."
Meanwhile, the Wildfires have added to their depth with the arrival of Northern Territory outside back Johan Wistrand and Caleb Niki.
Wildfires: 1 Faavae Sila, 2 Phil Bradford, 3 Sam Tufuga, 4 Ngarhue Jones, 5 Jordan Magner, 6 Joe Tamani, 7 Tiueti Asi, 8 Kirk Tufuga, 9 Nick Murray, 10 Nate De Thierry, 11 Michael Saili, 12 Leon Fukofuka, 13 Carl Manu (c), 14 Abele Atunasia, 15 Will Feeney