{"id":656097,"date":"2026-05-07T19:04:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/656097\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T19:04:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:04:39","slug":"north-queensland-cowboys-star-jason-taumalolo-to-overtake-johnathan-thurston-against-parramatta-eels-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/656097\/","title":{"rendered":"North Queensland Cowboys star Jason Taumalolo to overtake Johnathan Thurston against Parramatta Eels"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Even wearing his school uniform, Jason Taumalolo had \u201can aura about him\u201d. But what he brought to the North Queensland Cowboys convinced the NRL\u2019s most battle-hardened to entirely change their game.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I realised] if I get a quick play the ball and the next ball goes to big Jase, we were a chance of making a good 20\u201330 metres down field,\u201d James Tamou tells this masthead.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore then, because I was playing Origin and all that, I was quite selfish \u2013 how many runs I did and metres I made. Everything evolved \u2026 into what can I do to make someone else better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taumalolo\u2019s legacy was already etched in Cowboys\u2019 folklore \u2013 the powerhouse lock who inspired the club\u2019s maiden title in 2015. On Friday, he will surpass Johnathan Thurston as their most-capped player (295).<\/p>\n

While Thurston was the premiership\u2019s mastermind, Taumalolo \u2013 along with Tamou and Matt Scott \u2013 were the brute force.<\/p>\n

\"JamesJames Tamou admits he changed his whole game once Jason Taumalolo burst onto the scene.NRL Photos<\/p>\n

Tamou was halfway through a career spanning 307 NRL, 14 State of Origin and 12 Test appearances when Taumalolo inadvertently dealt him a reality check.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Jase solidified himself, I thought this isn\u2019t about me any more. This guy can take us to places I cannot,\u201d Tamou says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou knew straight from then you were witnessing something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u2018ratbag\u2019 sensation<\/p>\n

Tamou looked across the Cowboys\u2019 fields in 2009 observing the young guns eager to stand out. Taumalolo was simply picking at the grass. Then training began.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe blew everything away \u2013 speed, jump, all that,\u201d Tamou recalls.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my first vision of him that he was something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tamou began arriving to training early to watch Taumalolo\u2019s under-20s, coached by Dolphins and Tonga honcho, Kristian Woolf.<\/p>\n

Taumalolo was only 16 and attending Kirwan State High School after his move from Auckland \u2013 still \u201ca young boy with a bit of ratbag in him\u201d. <\/p>\n

\"JasonJason Taumalolo of Tonga performs a war dance.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was doing what he\u2019s done in first-grade \u2013 running 300 metres every week, running over people and [being] bloody hard to tackle,\u201d Woolf says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s always had a confidence about him that he knows what his body can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

What caught Tamou\u2019s eye was how quickly Taumalolo took to senior standards. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe had Matt Scott, Shane Tronc, Carl Webb, so you had to earn your place and respect,\u201d Tamou says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he was up to par with men standards at that tender age with the wrestle, contact, and the way he ran the ball was so impactful. Every game he\u2019d do something spectacular, and you just had to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Career crossroads<\/p>\n

Accolades followed Taumalolo \u2013 his premiership exploits and 2016 Dally M Medal preceding a historic 10-year contract.<\/p>\n

Then his body failed him. Lisfranc and calf issues kept him to 10 games in 2025. He also battled a degenerative knee concern.<\/p>\n

There were even fears Taumalolo would not see out his contract as his output diminished.<\/p>\n

But Tamou knew Taumalolo\u2019s character would ensure he rose again. A Queensland Cup encounter, when Taumalolo returned from injury with Mackay against Tamou\u2019s Blackhawks, proved that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a drop out, and I spotted big Jase and ran straight at him. He half-winded me,\u201d Tamou said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not even the time you put into your body to make sure you\u2019re doing the right things, but the mindset to keep turning up.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Jarome<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe shapes the identity of a team. Having him impacts the psychology, he just has that force about him that makes you second guess yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Come 2026, as Cowboys coach Todd Payten reduced his minutes to roughly 46 per game, the Taumalolo of old has returned \u2013 only trailing 80-minute players Jackson Ford, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Haumole Olakau\u2019atu for post-contact metres (602).<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew if I could get myself back to not carrying around injuries and being able to play freely, I\u2019d eventually get back to where I was,\u201d Taumalolo said, after his heroics against Brisbane this year.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had the last three or four years injury-plagued, and I knew if I had a clean-out [in my knee] last year going into this year then I could give it a red-hot crack, and get close to where I would be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global impact<\/p>\n

When Taumalolo announced his Test football defection from New Zealand to Tonga, he couldn\u2019t know the ripple effect he would trigger.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone jokes he\u2019s the King of Tonga,\u201d Woolf said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not quite the king, but he\u2019s not far off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tamou recalls seeing Taumalolo after his Kangaroos took on the Kiwis, and sensing he felt uncomfortable. Soon after, Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita\u2019s allegiance shift transformed international rugby league.<\/p>\n

Others followed their lead, as did those from Samoa, to create contenders to finally rival Australia and New Zealand. While visiting Tonga last year, Woolf saw how Taumalolo\u2019s impact went beyond the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone loves seeing him in the flesh, everyone gravitates towards him and wants to be around him and touch him. They\u2019re scenes I\u2019ve been privileged to see and will always remember,\u201d Woolf said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe influence he\u2019s had on Tonga, but international footy as well, has been outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

So seismic was the cultural shift Taumalolo began, Tamou admits he could not \u201ccompletely rule out\u201d his great mate emulating those feats with the Papua New Guinea Chiefs once his contract ends in 2027 \u2013 by which time, he will be 34.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t see him making a move, but obviously, you can\u2019t say no,\u201d Tamou says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s shown within these last few years he\u2019s able to push through the other side and still ignite a team.\u201d <\/p>\n

But while the reserved Taumalolo \u2013 who regards sharing the field with his dog Ollie before he passed away last year as a career highlight \u2013 remains unsure if he will play beyond his current deal, he expressed his desire to remain in Cowboys colours.<\/p>\n

\"JasonJason Taumalolo of the Cowboys poses with his dog \u2018Ollie\u2019Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to finish as a one-club player,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be the most capped Cowboys player, it hasn\u2019t hit me. I had a few moments there where I thought I wouldn\u2019t get here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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