Taumalolo: “I just feel that it’s time to give back” [1]
Thursday, October 5, 2017 - 16:58. Updated on Thursday, October 5, 2017 - 19:24.
Tongan Rugby League star Jason Taumalolo decided to play for Tonga because he felt a duty to “give back”, he said yesterday.
Taumalolo said in a media statement “I just feel that it’s time to give back and hopefully I can assist and inspire young Tongan players to chase their NRL goals.”
His statement comes in the wake of media reports accusing Taumalolo of snubbing the New Zealand Rugby League team because of a rumoured disagreement with the team’s coach David Kidwell.
However, the 24-year-old states that his reasons for joining Tonga is to help the Kingdom as a developing nation and to inspire Tongan youth.
“I have and will always be proud to wear the Kiwi's Jersey. I just feel the World Cup provides developing nations like Tonga an opportunity to play on the big stage and I would like to help them with their campaign.”
A delighted Mate Ma’a Tonga coach Kristian Woolf praised Taumalolo for his decision, stating that Taumalolo’s addition was a huge boost for Tonga.
"He's always said that one day he would like to come back and play for Tonga while he's at his best. I was never quite sure when that might be but he's obviously decided to do it now,
"There are a lot of players who talk about it and make the noise and everything else but he's the best forward in the game at the moment so for him to make the jump while he is in such a position in his career says a lot about his character.”
Woolf added that Taumalolo was making a brave decision as he was sacrificing the benefits of playing for a tier one nation like New Zealand.
"He's obviously sacrificing a lot. You're not comparing apples with apples when you're talking about the benefits of playing for a tier one nation compared to a tier two nation. One group of nations are looked after a hell of a lot better than the other.”
"That's why I think it is such a brave step, him being the first to really do that and lay a platform. To say that it is OK to sacrifice other things and play for a team that in your heart you know you want to play for and you know you're going to enjoy playing for.”
"In my conversations with him, he's very much thought about how it impacts on other people. Not just our team obviously but also kids back in Tonga and kids who are in a similar position to him in terms of being Tongan kids that have grown up in Australia and New Zealand and what teams those kids want to play for when they do get the opportunity to choose.
The Mate Ma’a Tonga will play Scotland in Cairns on 29 October and Samoa in Hamilton on 4 November before a showdown with New Zealand at Hamilton on 11 November.