ACT Brumbies prospect Junor Tupou bound for the NRL with Wests Tigers

The Queanbeyan Whites coach knows better than most what Tupou is capable of having coached the supremely talented outside back in the John I Dent Cup this year - and the Wests Tigers have taken notice.

Tupou has joined the NRL club on a three-year deal which runs until the end of the 2024 season, having spent this year in the ACT Brumbies' Super Rugby set-up.

Canberra Raiders junior Tupou had represented NSW at under 16 and under 18 level before signing with the Brumbies in a bid to crack the 15-man code.

But now he returns to rugby league having been stuck behind a host of Test players and Wallaby hopefuls in the Brumbies ranks.

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"You easily forget he just turned 19, playing first grade, training full-time with the Brumbies. You could easily be forgiven for that because he is such a big unit and so electric that you'd think he was a lot older than what he was," French said.

"Every now and then, he would do something that was very special and you'd be guilty of thinking that's expected of someone in his position, but you'd be forgetting the fact he is actually only 19 years old and he should have been running around with his schoolmates in colts.

"He hardly ever gets tackled by the first defender, he's extremely strong, has great footwork, he's a big man.

"I think his game will translate well to rugby league, just in the sense that a lot of that is a one-on-one battle or a two-on-one battle, and you don't have to worry about running shape, it's just a battle of who is better.

"Depending on whether they play him in the centres or on the edge out at the Tigers, he's going to be very hard to stop with another year of growing."

Tupou is the latest Whites youngster to kick onto higher honours after Brendan Jimenez, Zeph Tuinona and Tony Alofipo took opportunities in Japan, while Jed Stuart is touring abroad with the Australian sevens rugby team and Fred Kaihea has signed with the Brumbies.

"He's probably the quietest person I've ever met, especially for someone who has always been touted as a big deal with a big future," French said.

"All through his schooling career he was always going to be something special. But there's no ego, he's quiet, really reserved. He's actually a bit of an enigma, he's quite hard to unpack and get to know.

"To be honest, I'm proud of him for taking the opportunity in a new city away from here because he is so shy, I'm sure it'll be a big challenge for him."

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