Girlfriend detail as David Fifita finally explains reason for backflipping on $3.3m Roosters deal

Titans forward David Fifita says his girlfriend and family were central to his multi-million dollar call to backflip on joining the Roosters, after explaining the decision to remain on the Gold Coast. Fifita last year agreed to join the Roosters from the 2025 season onwards after signing a four-year deal worth around $3.3 million. He even turned down a rival offer from Penrith in the process. However, during the ten-day cooling-off period that players are afforded with any deal to switch clubs, Fifita had a massive change of heart, before the Roosters ultimately pulled their big-money offer. Speaking openly for the first time since that bombshell call, Fifita has now revealed that his partner Shaylee Bent and the desire to be close to his parents and family were pivotal to the decision. Titans forward David Fifita says his girlfriend and family were central to his multi-million dollar call to backflip on joining the Roosters, after explaining the decision to remain on the Gold Coast. Fifita last year agreed to join the Roosters from the 2025 season onwards after signing a four-year deal worth around $3.3 million. He even turned down a rival offer from Penrith in the process. However, during the ten-day cooling-off period that players are afforded with any deal to switch clubs, Fifita had a massive change of heart, before the Roosters ultimately pulled their big-money offer. Speaking openly for the first time since that bombshell call, Fifita has now revealed that his partner Shaylee Bent and the desire to be close to his parents and family were pivotal to the decision. Fifita says his love for long-time girlfriend Bent was also a major factor, after she'd moved from Sydney to Queensland to be with him. “It was massive for her to stay here,” he said. “She has sacrificed a lot for me. She could have gone down to Sydney, but I wanted her to stay. She cooks for me and does a lot for me. She looks after me and does all the right things. When I’m down with my injuries, she looks after me. It’s hard when you get injured, but she and my mum and dad are there for me.” Bent admitted last year that she and Fifita had really settled down on the Gold Coast, so Fifita was no doubt reluctant to ask her to uproot her life once again. “It’s the same with David, (the Gold Coast) is our home now. We love the community, we love the fans, we love the club and we love our teams, the Titans NRLW star said. “We’ve built a life up there so we’re really happy.”