“Addin Fonua-Blake went to the school he attended, so did Eli Katoa. Leka Halasima went back to the village where he was born, and [assistant coach] David Tangata-Toa visited the village where his father grew up,” Woolf said.
“I went with Paul Alamoti to a school, and the principal was telling us how he went to school with Paul’s dad, and how they were even in the same class.
Jason TaumaloloCredit: @tongarugbyleagueofficial
“It was really touching for all the players to have that moment and connection with people or a certain place. It meant a lot.”
The Tongans spent Thursday visiting the Australian High Commission, trained Friday in front of 1000 locals, before they rushed to the Royal Palace for lunch with the King, Aho’eitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho.
“We were served fresh octopus, lobster, clams, wild boar, some traditional desserts – the food really was fit for a king,” Woolf said.
“There were a lot of protocols we needed to follow when meeting the King. He was very engaging, he spoke to a couple of players more than others, but he made it clear he appreciated what the players were doing for the country.”
Rob Toia soaks up the local culture in Tonga last week.Credit: @tongarugbyleagueofficial
The players were later paraded on the back of floats through the capital, including a truck covered with a giant photo of Woolf. The coach only wishes there was a different image used, “because I looked like the most miserable bloke in Tonga”.
John Hopoate, the former league representative player who travelled with the Tongan staff – and visited his family village of Fua’amotu with sons Will and Lehi – said it quickly became clear Taumalolo was the favourite.
“Everywhere Jase went, he was mobbed,” Hopoate said.
“When we finished on the floats on Friday, we had to wait about an hour for Jase because he was signing autographs and taking photos. It’s to do with his stature in the game and the fact he defected to Tonga when he was in his prime.
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“He’s close to being the king of Tonga the way he is received when he walks around. I consider myself to be a future immortal over there, but Jase is the ‘king’.”
The Tongans rounded out their trip by attending the local grand finals, including the A-grade competition won by the Viane Doves.
As for Sunday, a crowd of 40,000 is expected for the clash at Suncorp Stadium against Samoa, who lost 24-18 to New Zealand on Sunday.
“What I like about our group is, judging by their body shapes, they’ve all looked after themselves,” Woolf said.
“It was also a positive having so many guys involved in the NRL finals, and we also had a lot of guys pick up awards at the Dally Ms. At least the boys know exactly who they are playing for, and what it means to Tonga.”