In 2019, Benaiah Ioelu was contracted to the New Zealand Warriors.

Seven years on, in a full-circle moment, Ioelu will run out in the No.9 on Friday evening at Go Media Stadium in Auckland.

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But instead of representing the Warriors, he will be competing against his former team as part of the Sydney Roosters.

A talented junior, Ioelu was destined for stardom from a young age and by the age of 10, he was already recognised as one of the best young prospects in the Auckland Rugby League competition.

Known for his craftiness and composure around the ruck, he quickly drew the attention of the Warriors recruitment staff, and before long, he was brought into the club’s pathways system alongside Ali Leiataua, Francis Manuleleua, Keano Kini and current Tricolours teammate Salesi Foketi.

His rise gained further momentum when he was named in the Under-16s squads for both the New Zealand Kiwis and Toa Samoa – before ultimately deciding to represent the latter with Deine Mariner and Joash Papalii.

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And it wasn’t long before other NRL clubs began circling, especially after being named one of the players of the match in a one-off game between the Warriors and 2019 Under-17s Harold Matthews Cup premiers, the Newcastle Knights

“They had an open invitation in New Zealand. My agent said come along to the training and Daniel Anderson (former Roosters Head of Recruitment) was there and just did some drills and played a game,” Ioelu told foxsports.com.au.

“I was signed with the Warriors but I wasn’t fully locked in. When Newcastle came over to verse the Warriors, they saw me play that game and Daniel wanted to confirm a deal.

“Then I was able to get out of the Warriors one and I’ve been signed to the Roosters ever since.”

After a strong junior representative career, which saw him make back-to-back Grand Finals in the Under-19s SG Ball Cup and Under-21s Jersey Flegg Cup, Ioelu bided his time in the lower grades before making his NRL debut last season.

Ioelu is a former New Zealand Warriors academy product.Source: News Corp Australia

However, his debut almost came sooner.

“I injured my ankle and fibula, so I was out for that whole (2024) season, but just the way it was panning out, I thought it was possible I could have debuted that year,” Ioelu added.

“Honestly, that road to recovery was tough. I was out for the whole year and then I found out I had brain stress then I was out again.

“For brain stress, you don’t really know how long you’re out for. It’s just how long your brain wants to heal and just got to give it some rest.

“There’s also other injuries and you think to yourself is this still worth it? But I’m a big believer in God and I live in Jesus and I feel like people going through it, you never know what God has in store for you.

“If you just keep persevering, putting your head up and keep marching forward, you never know what your days will bring.”