Will Mataka is currently riding the high of winning Australian reality TV show ‘My Kitchen Rules’, but a decade ago he was at the bottom of the rollercoaster ride.
He says 2014 was a tough year. After pursuing a career in footy from his high school days, his rugby league dream ended just months after his father passed away. Mataka was unwanted by his NRL club and suddenly his income, which supported his family, disappeared.
“That final year was one of the most challenging years of my life but probably the most defining,” he told Nesian Footy.
Unsurprisingly, it caused “a lot of tension at home” and with teenage siblings, financial stress and family heartbreak, it all boiled over one night when Mataka “was actually asked to leave home.”
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He grabbed a bag of clothes and walked out the front door totally directionless.
“I’d just sit at bus stops for long hours at night or go back to Mum’s, hide in the shed and sleep there and leave in the morning.”
Life could have gone two ways during those “dark days” but Mataka spoke to his manager and a good friend and knew he “just had to get (himself) out of it”.
With two parents born in Tonga, Dad from ‘Eua and Mum from Navutoka, who had moved to Australia to work hard and give their family more opportunities, Mataka drew upon that family strength to turn his life around.
Within a couple of months, Mataka had a job, a place to live, a partner and had repaired the relationships with his family.
“It required investment from everyone, myself included. It’s great now … It’s at a point that I’m hosting Christmas every year, Mum’s finally given it up.”
Which makes total sense when you consider he just won Australian reality television cooking show ‘My Kitchen Rules’ with his mate Justin Rolleston, including $100,000 prize money.
Just like his footy career and the determination it took to overcome the challenges in 2014, the win took “a lot of prep work, a lot of sacrifice and a lot of work behind closed doors”.
Mataka is no chef, in fact you’re not allowed to apply for the show if you have any qualifications. He’s just a home cook whose love of food started with his parents and their mean Tongan feeds.
“I’ve always loved cooking. For as long as I can remember my Dad used to cook up these mad hearty meals… Chop suey, lū, all the Tongan food that I grew up eating came from Dad and Mum.”
And although his Tongan roots didn’t show in every meal he cooked on the show, Mataka was super proud of impressing the judges with his “‘ota ‘ika with taro crisps.”
Mataka is keen to get back to visit Tonga again with his family soon because the last time he went there he was vegan, a lifestyle choice he’d made just before going and one that he quickly regretted.
“My aunty looks at me and says ‘what the hell are you doing’?… Nothing short of disgust.”
It’s all pride now though for Mataka and his family and he knows that turning his life around wouldn’t have been possible without them.
“If I could put that into a couple of words, it’s my family and friends. There’s no way you can do anything in this world alone.”
Posted 37m ago37 minutes agoWed 17 Dec 2025 at 3:35am, updated 19m ago19 minutes agoWed 17 Dec 2025 at 3:53am