‘It was hard’: Pole reflects on Storm snubbing
Jasper Bruce |
It was a hard for a teenage Fonua Pole to move away from Melbourne when it became clear the Storm weren’t interested in signing him.
Along with Trent Toelau and Sua Fa’alogo, 22-year-old Wests Tigers prop Pole is one of few Victorian juniors playing in the NRL and had become a keen Storm fan after his family moved from New Zealand when he was six.
A young Pole showed enough talent to earn selection with the Victoria Thunderbolts, the youth representative side that has since been replaced by the Storm’s own Jersey Flegg, SG Ball and Harold Matthews teams.
The Thunderbolts had been designed to prepare the state’s best talent to be cherry-picked by the Storm.
But Pole’s phone never rang.
“It’s a tough one to explain. I didn’t really feel like I was getting looked at over there,” he said ahead of the Tigers’ clash with the Storm on Sunday.
“The pathways weren’t as good as it is right now. They’ve built a good system and pathway for the young ones now but back when I was there it was pretty hard to see locals in the top grade.
“As soon as I left, that’s when they started prioritising their pathways and stuff. I think it was just timing.”
Pole was grateful for an opportunity to join the Tigers, even if it meant moving away from his tight-knit family and potentially forgoing the chance for a dream debut at the Storm.
But the relocation has paid off in a big way.
Pole has amassed 65 NRL appearances since his first-grade debut in 2022 and is now rated one of the NRL’s best young props.
He will be integral to the side’s ongoing rebuild under Benji Marshall, especially now that fellow prop Stefano Utoikamanu has joined the Storm.
Sunday’s clash in Melbourne marks their first since Utoikamanu left the Tigers for a big-money Storm deal.
Pole knows that in another world, it could’ve been him lining up in a purple jersey against the Tigers alongside his good mate Utoikamanu.
“I’ll try and go after him a little bit,” Pole said with a smile.
“He’s been waiting for this game but I’ll do my job and treat it like every other week.”
The perennially-successful Storm have since come knocking to try and entice Pole, the one that got away, back to Melbourne.
But Pole is now feeling settled at a Tigers side finally looking to have turned a corner in 2025.
“I’m happy with where I’m at,” he said.
“I’m big on loyalty so I’m just trying to repay this club for the opportunity they gave me.”
AAP
