Siosifa Talakai and Addin Fonua-Blake used to run amok at Mascot Oval when they were growing up, but the pair are now preparing to run riot through the middle at AAMI Park as the Sharks look to book a spot in the grand final.
The Mascot Jets have produced a stack of NRL stars over the years, with the Cronulla wrecking balls going way back with a bond that has extended well beyond rugby league.
The rest of the world expected Fonua-Blake to be the difference maker when he joined the Sharks this season, but Talakai knew that the superstar prop would be the trump card to take them all the way.
“I grew up with him so I already knew he’d be that guy. Since we were young, he was always the guy that we looked up to coming through the ranks,” Talakai told the NewsWire about his cousin.
“To see him thrive and get to where is now, I’m not surprised at all.
“He lived across the road from me, so we always used to go to Mascot Oval and do silly stuff and muck around, and we’d also go to church because we’re family.
“We were always around each other growing up, so to see him where he is now is no surprise to any of us who grew up with him.
“There were lots of good players in his age group, but he took the cake because he wasn’t talented or anything but was willing to work harder.
“He’s similar to Cam (Murray). I reckon those guys were in the top three coming through at the club along with ‘Foxx’ (Josh Addo-Carr), and then we had Aaron Gray, Dylan Walker and others.
“You could probably make an NRL squad out of the guys in his age group.”
The families were very tight growing up which is why Fonua-Blake and a couple of Talakai’s cousins spent a year in Tonga during his teenage years.
“We sort of planned it,” the prop forward said.
“We went there for cultural reasons. I got a mad experience out of it. It was a tough time in my life going there and being away from my family, but it’s something I draw a lot of inspiration from as well.”
Fonua-Blake has made a huge difference since joining from the Warriors, with the Tongan star proving his worth with 141m and 31 tackles in the upset win over Canberra.
He played the first 49 minutes without coming off after bench forward Tom Hazelton suffered a head knock, with his teammates glad the club forked out the cash to sign him.
“That’s why you get paid a million bucks,” winger Ronaldo Mulitalo said.
“If you paid me a million bucks, then I’d run in the middle and play 50 minutes. I wouldn’t make many tackles.
“That’s why you bring a world-class player to the team. The front office managed to get him here, and I’m super grateful to have the big fella here.”
The Sharks have had their critics over the years due to their inability to win big games, but the outside perception is starting to match the inner belief after a couple of finals victories.
“A lot of us have played together for the past couple of years,” Talakai said.
“We know each other’s games, and we know that when we’re on that there’s no one that can match us.
“Knowing our worth, especially when we’ve done all the prep throughout the year, we know what we can bring. We’re still yet to hit our peak and there’s a lot of potential that we haven’t tapped into.
“We know our worth and this is where we belong.”
Originally published as ‘That’s why you get paid a million bucks’: The family bond linking two of Cronulla’s most important stars