When Jason Taumalolo made the polarising decision to pledge his allegiance to Tonga, he desired to be an inspiration to the next generation of talent emerging from the small island nation.
But it is difficult to imagine the Cowboys star anticipated the seismic shift his call would trigger in the international game.
At the World Cup that followed his decision in 2017, Tonga reached the semi-finals alongside fellow Pacific Island battlers Fiji.
Jason Taumalolo celebrates Tonga’s shock Test win over the Kangaroos in 2019.Credit: Getty
Players of the calibre of Andrew Fifita and Addin Fonua-Blake followed his lead, and others such as NSW State of Origin star Jarome Luai have since turned away from Australia to fly the Samoan flag.
At the time of Taumalolo’s defection, there was a significant pay disparity across the nations, with Tongan players reportedly receiving $500 a game compared with $20,000 for Kangaroos.
And according to Tonga coach Kristian Woolf, pundits would look back on the move as the moment rugby league harnessed a world program to rival other football codes.
“He was the guy who with his profile, his standing and his presence in the game made the decision to leave New Zealand and commit to Tonga – not just for a series or World Cup, but for the rest of his international career,” Woolf said.
“That really sparked something in other players. They wanted to follow him and be like him, and now you see that across a number of nations.
“What we don’t want is three teams who can win things internationally, and three teams who are strong and all anyone talks about or is interested in.
“That’s what’s going to grow international footy. There are so many players who have made that sacrifice and made that change, taken on that challenge, and made it really important to play for your home nations.
“You see the young guys, coming through all they want to do growing up is what those guys before them have done for Tonga.”
“A lot of it starts at the top with Woolfy, and that trickles down to the players. I can’t take full credit for what’s happened, I’ll give all that to Woolfy.”
Jason Taumalolo
But now, Taumalolo will need to be the inspiration to take Test football to greater heights, in Tonga’s next game against the Kiwis.
Tonga will be out to respond from a 18-0 loss to the Kangaroos to open their Pacific Championships account, and avoid relegation to the Pacific Bowl in place of its winner between Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Cook Islands.
Given PNG are tipped to join the NRL in the game’s expansion plans, such a result could drastically alter the course of international rugby league.
Taumalolo will be at the heart of those efforts, but after running for 120 metres against the Kangaroos – a far cry from the colossal efforts of his prime before a degenerative knee issue restricted his output – his leadership would prove most influential.
Woolf saw leadership qualities in him from the moment he first coached him in North Queensland as Taumalolo arrived as a 13-year-old.
“He was impressive straight away. It was really obvious to me he was a guy who wanted to be good at his footy who had a different toughness and drive about him,” Woolf said.
“I’m really proud to be able to have been involved in his career for that long, and watch him grow from that young bloke who at times was more interested in being the funny guy and cracking jokes, to really growing into being proud of himself and the leader he is.”
This contest could prove Woolf’s last hurrah in the Tongan colours, given he will take the reins of the Dolphins from Wayne Bennett for the 2025 NRL season.
He has refused to rule out continuing to play a part in that nation’s future.
The previous Tongan Rugby League body was expelled by the International Rugby League in 2019 for its governance issues, following Woolf’s sacking which led to a player boycott.
But a new board was formed this year under the name Tonga XIII.
Woolf hinted that he would be willing to remain in some capacity, without ruling out continuing the head coaching role.
“I don’t think I’ve made that official yet, have I?” Woolf said.
“It’s probably a conversation with the board at some stage and down the track. For the first time in five years we have a board that’s functional, and it’s full of good people – people who want to drive the game and in particular the domestic game.
“It gives us some chance at unity we haven’t had in five years.”
