David Fifita missed selection for Australia's semi-final against Samoa but hopes to earn a place in Kevin Walters' plans for a possible final and win a World Cup medal.
The South Sydney back-rower says he is the NRL's most criticised second-rower, despite his consistent 2026 performances earning him a spot in Australia's World Cup squad.
"I think I just get the most criticism out of every second-rower in the game," Fifita said from Kangaroos camp. "I don't know - you look at the stats, the stats don't lie. That's where I'm at."
Questions about his form, hunger and effort have followed him through eight seasons in the top grade.
They intensified after Gold Coast signed him to a $1.2 million-per-season contract in 2021, when he was 20.
After being repeatedly overlooked by Queensland selectors, Fifita left the Titans at the end of 2025 and joined Souths.
He credits Wayne Bennett, who gave him his NRL debut at Brisbane as a teenager, for helping him find greater consistency.
"To be here with him, he understands me," Fifita said. "I love being coached by him because he makes you feel comfortable around him. He's a Queenslander, I'm a Queenslander. I wouldn't have gone to Souths if he wasn't there."
Fifita represented Tonga at the previous World Cup and hopes to face them in a possible final.
"It was very hard to pick, but I've never represented the Aussies, so that's why I've represented Tonga. I want to represent both my cultures while I'm still playing in the NRL, so to get to do that means so much to me."