A fresh and fit Jason Taumalolo will be out to make the most of his ‘luck’ to gain Tonga selection when he sets the tone against Samoa in front of what’s expected to be a record crowd for the Pacific rivalry on Sunday.
The 32-year-old managed only 10 games for the Cowboys this year due to injury but is confident he can lead his side to a Pacific Championships crown and create a launch pad to spend more time on the park to win selection for the 2026 World Cup.
“Yeah, obviously it’s not the type of year I wanted, just back-to-back injuries and re-injuring myself,” Taumalolo said.
“Obviously going back to last year’s Pacific Championships, getting injured, at the start of the year it kind of put me behind the eight-ball, so I was a little disappointed in that side things.
“But I got to string a few games together in the back end and to be even given an opportunity to come here at play for Tonga, you know, I got lucky there, so hopefully I stay healthy and get through this campaign and hopefully some momentum into next season.”
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Last time they met: Tonga v Samoa
Winning the early stages in oppressive conditions on Sunday could well be the marker for success – something to Samoa’s advantage having a game under their belt.
But Taumalolo feels the onslaught of a beaten team is something his troops are ready for knowing the commitment many of his teammates had shown to stay conditioned even before meeting for camp.
©Alfred Naupoto
“This prep, going in, I’m pretty confident, not just for myself, but the boys that we have,” he said.
“We have a talented young group, and you know, we had three of them nominated for Rookie of the Year [Toia, Halasima, Iongi] and that speaks for itself and the direction Tonga Rugby League are going, we take some confidence out of that and I’m hopeful that the boys will have a good campaign this year.
“The best thing about it is a lot of the boys that didn’t play the finals really kept themselves in good shape and kept themselves ready for the opportunity to play for Tonga, so that always puts us on the ground running.
“It made Woolfy’s (coach Kristian Woolf) job a lot easier last week, going into our first session and building on that, so that’ll give not only Woolfy some confidence, but all the boys coming in are in good shape and getting ready to play.
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Classic: Samoa v Tonga, 2015
“This weekend’s going to be tough. The way Samoa played against New Zealand, that showed, they got a bit unlucky there, but you know that Samoan team speaks for itself. You’ve got Payne Haas there and you’ve got two talented halves running the show.
“It’s going to be a tough game for us no doubt but it’s going to be a great weekend of footy.”
Taumalolo is well aware the battle extends beyond the field to the groundswell of support of both sides, with the scenes from the Samoa fan day giving just a glimpse of what’s to come, and hoping the Tongan fans bring the same energy.
Jason Taumalolo during the Tongan team’s meeting with meeting with King Tupou VI.
©Alfred Naupoto
“Obviously Tonga always has a lot of support. No matter where we go, you know, the ‘red sea’ always follows, and you know, you watch the New Zealand game, the Samoan crowd coming in and showing their love for their countrymen,” he said.
“It’s going to be a great atmosphere, no doubt, but at the end of the day, it’s who gets the job done and obviously Samoa will go into this game and have a lot of confidence coming out last week’s game.
“I saw they had their fan day (on Tuesday) and they had a fair turnout there, so it will be good to see the battle, not only between the teams, but the fans as well.
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An electric Siva Tau sets the challenge from Toa Samoa
“I’ve been part of some good rivalries, especially given the Queensland derby and everything else happening, but this would be a right up there.
“Obviously Samoa and Tonga have a lot of history, going back before even rugby league, we weren’t born then, in those times so a lot of that has died down and there’s mutual respect, and Samoa and Tonga have come a long way, and we’ll go into Sunday’s game pretty respectful of that and hopefully the fans can do the same too.”
After a life-affirming visit to Tonga reminding players why they will be adorning the red jersey on Sunday – including a rare meeting with King Tupou VI – the players will get the chance to mix with their Brisbane-based fans on Thursday afternoon in a public event at Logan Brothers Rugby League Club.