North Queensland Fien was educated at
Blackheath and Thornburgh College,
Charters Towers and played his junior rugby league for Brothers in Mount Isa. In 2000, he made his debut with the
North Queensland Cowboys, playing against the
Penrith Panthers. In 2001, his form warranted selection to the
Queensland side, where he came off the bench for one
State of Origin match. In the
2004 NRL season, Fien played twenty-three games for North Queensland as the club reached the finals for the first time. They would defeat eventual premiers Canterbury in week one of the finals and go on to reach the preliminary final against the
Sydney Roosters before losing 16–19 at
Telstra Stadium.
New Zealand Warriors After playing ninety-three games for North Queensland, Fien signed with the
New Zealand Warriors from the season 2005 onwards. He later extended his contract until the end of 2009. In 2008, he was told that he would not be required past the 2009 season at the Warriors and that they would consider releasing him at the end of the 2008 season. Fien initially turned down this offer, hoping that his form in the
World Cup could earn him a contract extension. However, after the
Huddersfield Giants failed to gain a work visa for
Todd Carney they approached Fien with a large offer. In January 2009 Fien requested that the Warriors release him from his final season. This request was initially turned down by the Warriors due to the earlier release of
Grant Rovelli, however on 30 June 2009 it was announced that Fien would transfer to the
St. George Illawarra Dragons for the remainder of the season.
St. George Illawarra In May 2009, after being dropped from first grade by the Warriors, Fien signed a three-year deal with the
St. George Illawarra Dragons from 2010. On 30 June the Warriors agreed to release Fien from the rest of his contract, and he joined the Dragons for the second half of the 2009 season. In the opening round of 2010, he suffered a serious ankle injury which kept him out until just before the finals. Upon his return, he provided attacking options to the team and proved an invaluable player throughout the end of the regular season and finals. He was in the 2010 premiership winning St. George Illawarra team and scored the final try of the
2010 NRL Grand Final, showcasing his
dummy half skills. He was re-signed until the end of 2013. He retired at the end of the 2013 season.
International career Born in Australia, Fien claimed eligibility to play for
New Zealand through a New Zealand-born grandmother, and played in two
2006 Tri-Nations matches. After these appearances it emerged that his New Zealand born relation was, in fact, a great-grandmother. Following this discovery the
International Rugby League Board declared him ineligible to play for the Kiwis, and New Zealand was stripped of its 2 championship points they got from beating Great Britain. The issue was dubbed
Grannygate by the media. In August 2008, Fien was named in the
New Zealand training squad for the
2008 Rugby League World Cup – now being eligible for New Zealand due to residency qualifications via his tenure at the Auckland-based Warriors – and in October 2008 he was named in the final 24-man
Kiwi squad. Fien played at halfback in the World Cup final, which was won by New Zealand. He retired from international rugby league following the 2012
ANZAC Test. == Statistics ==