Tonga trip boosts Taumalolo and all the king’s men
Joel Gould |
Lunch with the King of Tonga and quality time spent with his subjects has Jason Taumalolo primed to deliver a blockbusting display against Samoa.
The Tongan co-captain and his team spent five days in Tonga before flying to Brisbane to prepare for the Pacific Cup clash with the Samoans at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
A highlight was lunch at the royal residence with King Tupou VI. Taumalolo was feted as a national hero on the trip, with team management struggling to get him from one venue to the next because of his popularity.
“It’s a privilege for us to be in that position to meet the king. That rarely happens, especially for the Tongan people,” Taumalolo said.
“The formalities were different – trying not to turn your back, just the little things the boys had to pick up on that was new to them.
“The reason why we went back to Tonga was to see the people we were playing for and see what it means to them. For some of the boys, it was their first time seeing family they had never met before and just reconnecting to their Tongan side.
“We’ll take a lot from that week going into this week, it’ll help motivate us going into this year’s campaign.”
The 32-year-old powerhouse played just 10 games for the Cowboys in 2025 in what was an injury-riddled year, the least matches in a season since he was an 18-year-old in 2011.
After a post-season knee clean-out, Tonga’s spiritual leader is primed for a massive match.
“Obviously it wasn’t the type of year I wanted,” Taumalolo said.
“In last year’s Pacific Championships I got injured, and not being able to start the year put me behind the eight-ball.
“It was good to be able to string together a few games at the back end and be given the opportunity to play for Tonga.
“I’ll give it everything I have. I’m not one to leave it in the tank.
“Sometimes the body decides to take a different direction, but every time I put on a jersey – no matter what colour it is – I’ll give it my best, and if my body breaks down then so be it.”
Taumalolo has two seasons to go on his 10-year Cowboys deal and can’t envisage being anywhere else.
“I love being at the Cowboys. I’ve been there my whole career and would like to finish as one of the players who get to finish as a one-club man,” he said.
“In saying that, anything can happen in rugby league. You see players you would never expect to leave their clubs leave, but I haven’t exercised that thought just yet.
“I signed the deal for a reason.
“Anything can happen between now and then, but Tonga is my first focus.
“It’s going to be a great atmosphere no doubt (on Sunday), but at the end of the day it’s about who gets the job done.”
Taumalolo wants to play in next year’s World Cup, but is taking nothing for granted.
“Obviously that’s been in the back of my mind, especially with the amount of young talented players coming through,” he said.
“It’s going to be a big competition for spots in the team, and there’s still a lot of players who missed out this year who had great seasons.
“I’m counting down the days where I’ll eventually hang up the red jersey, and I’m sure the next person who will take over will do a better job than what I have.”
AAP
