Family first for Felise as reunion with old club awaits

He has played 179 NRL games but Saturday will be the latest first for Dolphins enforcer Felise Kaufusi, who can't wait to clash with former teammates and the club that helped launch his career.

All eyes will be on Kaufusi, along with Kenny and Jesse Bromwich, when the trio face off against the Storm for the first time since they departed the club last season to join Wayne Bennett's inaugural Dolphins.

Having capped 173 games and two premierships for the club in an eight-year stint, Kaufusi's fresh challenge is now about taking down his old compatriots including the likes of Christian Welch, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Harry Grant.

“I don’t know if it’s a rivalry but playing against your older club, you want to get one on top of them," Kaufusi told pan66.com ahead of the clash.

“I was at the club for a long time so I’m just looking forward to coming up against the boys, it’ll be interesting because they’re one of the last sides we’re yet to play.

“We’ll just have to ride out the week. I’ve got a lot of mates in that team who I’ve had for a lot of years and your teammates are like a family down there so it will be an interesting one coming up against them.

“I know it’s not just me but the Bromwich brothers as well, we’re excited to play against our mates, some of those blokes I’ve played with since I debuted back in 2015.

“It will be good to see Craig (Bellamy) too and the whole coaching staff. It will be a bit of a reunion I guess to see them and the boys. Before the game it will be all business I imagine but when it's all done it will be great to say 'G'day'.”

Having seen first-hand what the secrets of success are at the Melbourne powerhouse, Kaufusi said he will definitely be trying to give his Dolphins teammates “a leg up” for the reunion.

“They do a lot of study, a lot of work and a lot of video so they’ll know where our strengths and weaknesses are and they’ll try and pick those out," Kaufusi said.

“I’ll try to help the boys as much as I can, anything to help us win and get a leg up on them."

One of nine children growing up in Bundaberg, the 30-year-old forward said he was relishing his decision to move home to Queensland and the opportunity to be closer to family.

The passing of his father Taniela last year made his decision to leave Melbourne easier to reunite with his loved ones in the sunshine state.

“Some personal stuff of the field happened last year and it just feels much nicer to be closer to family and it’s much easier for us to get together now,” he said.

“I can see my mum every second weekend, my sisters live in Chermside so they’re up the road for babysitters if we need.

“Usually it’s two flights from Bundy to get down to Melbourne so it’s awesome for my kids to see they’re aunties, uncles and cousins a lot more now.

"That’s what I remember growing up, going over to cousins' house on the weekends and having barbecues at the park and that's what I want for my kids.”