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Lining up alongside Cameron Bukowski and Jaiyden Hunt for the Brisbane Broncos feeder side, the five-eighth produced an astonishing six line-break assists and four try assists as the Seagulls cruised to a 54-0 victory against the PNG Hunters.<\/p>\n
The sensational showing from the 24-year-old comes after he narrowly avoided jail in February last year, after pleading guilty to common assault after spitting at a woman at a pub in Wollongong.<\/p>\n
Previously earning a reported $500,000 a season with the Dragons before the club terminated his deal following his involvement in a rooftop hammer attack, he will look to continue his form for the remainder of this year\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n
If he can maintain his form, Amone could also put himself in contention to represent Tonga at the upcoming 2026 Rugby League World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy whole goal was to come back to rugby league; however long it took. The journey is starting now,\u201d Amone told The Illawarra Mercury last month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got another why in my life to get back in the NRL.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make it back, and I want to make her proud now. There\u2019s a lot more to just me playing footy. I\u2019ve got a little family myself now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foran’s first test as Manly coach | 03:16<\/p>\n
EX-INTERNATIONAL STAR MAKES SHOCK RETURN<\/p>\n
Amone wasn\u2019t the only former NRL player to make a comeback over the weekend, with former NSW Origin star and Australian representative Josh Dugan also playing in the QLD Cup.<\/p>\n
Last playing in the NRL in 2021, the former Canberra Raiders, Dragons and Cronulla Sharks fullback lined up for the Northern Pride in the centres against the Ipswich Jets.<\/p>\n
While his statistics were modest – 59 running metres from six carries and 11 tackles – the veteran completed the match unscathed in his first match after previously announcing that he had stepped away from the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt this squad was missing a little bit of experience at times this season and he brought that,\u201d Pride coach Sam Williams told News Corp. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been an assistant coach with us since November and he\u2019s in good shape, and obviously he\u2019s played for Australia as a centre. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe naturally looks after himself and he showed today that he\u2019s in the condition to handle it. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an unselfish performance from him to be able to go out there and play like that and put the club first over himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Dugan didn\u2019t make much of an impact, the same couldn\u2019t be said for former Roosters dummy-half Tyler Moriarty, who scored three tries and was aggressive around the ruck in attack and also in defence.<\/p>\n
Former NSW Origin and Australian representative Josh Dugan makes his Northern Pride debut playing centre in the Hostplus Cup (HPC) Queensland Rugby League (QRL) against the Ipswich Jets at Barlow Park. Picture: Brendan RadkeSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
IS LATU THE LONG-TERM SIX AT THE TIGERS?<\/p>\n
Not only has Wests Tigers youngster Latu Fainu continued to press his case to be recalled to the NRL side, but he is also strengthening his claim to be the club\u2019s long-term five-eighth.<\/p>\n
The gifted playmaker produced another influential performance in the NSW Cup as he helped guide the Western Suburbs Magpies to an emphatic 42-8 win with one try, 90 running metres and three try assists.<\/p>\n
Showcasing his creativity, composure and vision in attack, he continued to build a compelling case to wear the No.6 jersey at the joint venture for years to come and replace Jarome Luai in the halves once he departs for the PNG Chiefs in 2028.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Junior Tupou scored a try and had an outstanding 187 running metres and three line-breaks in his first game back for the side after making the mid-season switch from the Sydney Roosters.<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MAY 10: Latu Fainu of the Wests Tigers warms up prior to the round 10 NRL match between Melbourne Storm and Wests Tigers at AAMI Park on May 10, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
MANLY SUFFER 14TH CONSECUTIVE LOSS<\/p>\n
The Manly Sea Eagles may be thriving under Kieran Foran in the NRL, but the same can\u2019t be said for their reserve grade outfit, which continues to struggle and slumped to their 14th consecutive loss on the weekend.<\/p>\n
Sitting dead last on the ladder with just one win all season, their NSW Cup side has endured a campaign to forget and it got worse on Sunday when they lost to the Eels by 34 points.<\/p>\n
Parramatta winger Devonte Vaivela was on fire with three tries and three line-breaks, while rookie five-eighth Lorenzo Talataina continues to shine with two line-break assists and two try assists.<\/p>\n
Inching closer and closer to making his NRL debut, the 2025 Under-19s SG Ball Cup Player of the Year again showcased why he is regarded as the club\u2019s long-term No.6 and one of the best prospects in rugby league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former NRL rising star Junior Amone has made an immediate impact in his first match back in senior…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":513353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-513352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=513352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/513353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=513352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=513352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=513352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}