The revolution started on a Mad Monday.
Jason Taumalolo’s seismic call to represent Tonga at the 2017 World Cup truly took shape as the Cowboys drank to the mother of all grand final runs.
Taumalolo famously explained afterwards he was “still too blind” to answer phone calls from a spurned New Zealand camp and the critics that piled into him soon after.
Five years later, Samoan counterpart Junior Paulo says the Pacific party is just getting started.
The lead taken by Taumalolo, Andrew Fifita, Siosiua Taukeiaho, David Fusitu’a and Manu Ma’u prompted admiration, then inspiration among Tonga’s traditional island rivals.
Brian To’o, Jarome Luai, Paulo, Josh Papali’i and Joseph Suaalii have all opted for Samoa over Australia at this World Cup – with 40,000-plus fans predicted to pack in at Newcastle for a tournament opener against England that ranks as the biggest game in Samoan rugby league’s history.
“I remember watching that all play out back then when Jase made his move, it was inspiring,” To’o says.
Brian To’o celebrates Penrith’s premiership win draped in the Samoan flag.Credit:NRL Photos
“It showed it’s more than just a game when you make a decision about who you play for.
“You look at where Tonga is now. It’s made such an impact you probably wouldn’t think one player or a few players can have. Watching those games, it made me think about what Samoa could do and the conversations came from there.”
Headlines, hype, expectation, consternation and criticism have followed the strongest Samoan squad ever named. Coach Matt Parish is doing his best to blunt it all, but being the talk of the town has rarely been a bad thing in rugby league.
The ability for Origin eligible players to represent tier two nations without jeopardising those Queensland and NSW jerseys has been a key factor in the Pacific’s rise, and now questions of whether it should be allowed to continue.
International Rugby League chairman Troy Grant has flagged those eligibility rules as a key agenda item once the World Cup finishes.
Strong showings by Tonga and/or Samoa will only strengthen the argument that they should be elevated to tier one status, though Grant points out domestic participation and governance are key elements in where a country sits in the world order as well.
And then his own personal view when it comes to the eligibility debate.
Tonga’s Jason Taumalolo tries to punch through a gap against the Kangaroos.Credit:Getty
“You can’t lock players out of competing and expect the game to grow, I think it works the way it is at the moment,” he says.
“Any decision around Origin eligibility is a matter for the ARL. The current format I see as a win-win in that we’re getting stronger countries competing at the World Cup, the best players playing and passion and interest the international game deserves.”
Tongan coach Kristian Woolf ranks the scenes of November 2, 2019, when a shock upset was sprung on the Kangaroos and a public holiday was declared in the island nation, as one of his proudest moments in the game.
In commentary that night, a stunned Andrew Johns asked the question: “will the next generation of Tongans in Auckland and Western Sydney pledge their allegiance to Tonga?”
Just like Samoa, they already are, as rising talents Keaon Koloamatangi, Haumole Olakau’atu and Will Penisini lead the next generation that “wants to do exactly what the guys before them have done,” Woolf says.
‘I remember watching that all play out back then when Jase made his move, it was inspiring’
Brian To’o in the inspiration provided by Jason Taumalolo
“That initial sacrifice by the guys led by Jason in 2017, it’s laid a legacy that other players want to follow. Be it our young Tongan players or the Samoan guys, it’s something to be incredibly proud of.
“It was a light bulb moment for a lot of players that playing for a nation of your heritage can mean a lot to people around you, there’s some things you can’t put a price on, and some things resources and other things can’t make up for.”
Or end up being squandered. Tonga’s 2017 World Cup campaign saw the local A grade competition based out of the island’s capital city Nuku’alofa swell from 11 teams to 38 the following year.
Soon after though, the pandemic and the international game’s hiatus hit. Along with a tsunami earlier this year. And another COVID-19 outbreak. To go with an ugly political spat that saw the Tongan National Rugby League expelled by the IRL over governance issues.
“So things have stalled that progress in recent years,” Woolf says.
“But when it comes to the eligibility rules, I can’t understand the flak when you see the progress that’s actually been made thanks to them. Some of the comments are just naïve.
“You want a World Cup with strong teams and the best players playing.
“The change has given us an even more competitive World Cup than in 2017 and if we bow to pressure from bigger nations to choose between State of Origin and heritage, then we go backwards.”
For Paulo, a question of what he’s discovered about his culture so far this tour was met with a grin and “not much really”, namely because those lessons have already been learned by the Samoan skipper.
“But in terms of being a role model, I’m a father and I want my kids to look up to me and be proud of their heritage,” he says.
“We’re proud people, we’re proud of our heritage and we’re proud of those that have come before, most of all our parents and our grandparents.
“This is only just the start for us. It’s all about inspiring that next generation.”
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