He quickly became Katoa\u2019s shadow while in Tongan camp \u2013 dragged along to extra recovery sessions, saunas and training drills. These provided lessons he has carried on as the pair remain in contact.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he started talking to the media when he came out about it and got pretty emotional, I felt pretty sad \u2013 he was my roomie and does a lot for Tonga,\u201d Finefeuiaki said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI message him here and there to see how he\u2019s doing, and he\u2019s always saying he\u2019s still here and still smiling. I\u2019m here for him whenever he needs me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maroons ambitions<\/p>\n
While Finefeuiaki stresses he is not fixated on the prospect of a State of Origin debut, his Dolphins teammate and former Maroons enforcer Felise Kaufusi believed he was ready to enter that furnace.<\/p>\n
His exploits against the Rabbitohs were evidence of that, Kaufusi said, but the trick now would be doing it consistently \u2013 beginning with Sunday\u2019s battle with the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s absolutely ready if he keeps putting in performances like that. Being consistent is the main thing, so being able to back that up week in and out is the main thing, and I\u2019m sure that will hold him in good stead come selection time,\u201d said Kaufusi, who Finefeuiaki regards as his mentor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s got a big year ahead of him, he\u2019s just got to find some consistency there in his performances and the rest will come from that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rising star got a taste of life in that arena when he was summoned to the Queensland camp as an extended squad member last year, admitting to feeling \u201cstar struck\u201d by being surrounded by the best in the business.<\/p>\n
![\"Felise](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/71607dadda86971804ec20c108436306e5dc9bab.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Felise Kaufusi believes Kulikefu Finefeuiaki is ready for a Maroons call-up.Credit: Getty<\/p>\n
While he sensed pundits felt he did not have the capacity to produce regular 80-minute performances, with last year being his first experience as a regular starter, he has vowed to prove them wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do wish to put on that Maroons jersey. Moving over when I was 11 watching Origin growing up \u2026 to get that little taste last year was pretty mad,\u201d Finefeuiaki said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m more of a quiet guy and lead by my actions, but when I came in, the likes of [Pat] Carrigan and Tino Fa\u2019asuamaleaui, how they talk and what they do as leaders is something I\u2019m trying to implement that.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people think I can\u2019t play 80, but if Woolfy has full confidence in me to play the 80 I\u2019m willing to do my best to play it for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
World Cup ambitions<\/p>\n
Having moved to Australia from Auckland before his 13th birthday, Finefeuiaki could make himself available for New Zealand without losing his Origin eligibility under the NRL\u2019s new guidelines.<\/p>\n
But he was swift to rule out that possibility, and confirmed if he were to ever change allegiances from Tonga it would be for Samoa in honour of both his parents.<\/p>\n
While Kaufusi believed Finefeuiaki could fill the Katoa-sized void ahead of the 2026 World Cup in Australia, Finefeuiaki admits he is undecided about who he would choose.<\/p>\n
![\"Eli](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763443393_297_49846a9545febb231bc32e323d638bbe1738a869.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Eli Katoa will miss the World Cup campaign for Tonga.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of questions about that, but I don\u2019t know, to be honest. It\u2019s hard to pick sides because I\u2019m a mummy\u2019s boy and a daddy\u2019s boy,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens, but it\u2019s a hard decision. I want to play for them, and down the track represent them both.\u201d<\/p>\n