Maybe he would still be labouring on job sites or working as a garbage man in Sydney's west for a bit of cash.

Wherever he would be, there's a good chance it wouldn't be here in Canberra just days out from a Super Rugby AU grand final. There's a good chance he wouldn't have a Wallabies cap in his wardrobe.

The 25-year-old likely wouldn't be pulling on an ACT Brumbies jersey to face the Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night with the family that pulled him into line watching on.

"I was just getting into trouble," Fainga'a said.

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"I was hassling my siblings a lot, I was a smart arse and never sat still. I was always getting up to something stupid.

"I wasn't a perfect kid, I was disciplined really hard when I was a kid. It's paying dividends now. It has opened my eyes now.

"If I got away with things when I was younger and wasn't getting punished, who knows where I would be now."

He could so easily be another story of a player with the potential to be something great, only to find himself running around in club rugby with onlookers whispering about what might have been.

But he's here, ready to play the biggest Super Rugby game of his career with "the whole tribe" coming down from Sydney to take their places among the 6000-strong crowd.

The Fainga'a clan piles into three or four car loads or hires mini busses every time they're able to come to Canberra to watch the Brumbies.

"They're always there for me," Fainga'a said.

"Guys like myself, Allan [Alaalatoa], Locky [McCaffrey], Scotty [Sio], and some of the boys with big families, we've got to go searching for a few more tickets than the other boys because we've got a bigger tribe that want to come and support."

Which is why Fainga'a wants to make them proud as the Brumbies go in search of their first grand final win since 2004.

Back then Fainga'a was a nine-year-old kid going to Sunday school and learning about the Tongan culture he now carries with him everywhere he goes - both in mind and on his body.

Because beneath his Brumbies jersey is a permanent reminder of Fainga'a's roots - the tattoo which formed a part of the Super Rugby club's first Pasifika jersey last year.

"Not many outside of their own countries tend to keep that tradition going. It was important when I left home, knowing where I come from and understanding my culture," Fainga'a said.

"Generations have gone by and kind of lost that, but one thing I want to stay with is my Tongan culture, and I want to pass that onto my future kids.

"We were pushed to go to a lot of Sunday school when I was young. The language at home was Tongan, it was the first language at home, and English was the second language we used at school. You'd speak Tongan to my parents and grandma, and English to my brothers and sisters.

"I'm grateful my parents pushed me to understand that side of things. I understand how proud I am, and I want to pass that on."

SUPER RUGBY AU GRAND FINAL

Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium, 7.15pm.