State of Origin 2023: Inside Haumole Olakau’atu’s rise from Parramatta Eels reject to NSW Blues debut for Manly
A Parramatta junior, Haumole Olakau’atu only ever wanted to play for the Eels, but faced rejection after rejection. Now he’ll make his NSW debut as a Manly star instead.
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NSW Blues debutant Haumole Olakau’atu is the Parramatta Eel that got away.
It’s enough to make diehard Eels fans cry but it was Olakau’atu who actually shed tears over the powerhouse club.
Growing up in Guildford, in the Eels’ junior catchment, Olakau’atu was himself a diehard Parramatta fan who only ever wanted to play NRL for the club.
But the opportunity never came, and it wasn’t for the lack of trying.
Every year the then teenager would trial for Parramatta’s junior representative sides and every time the result was the same, rejection.
“We never thought Haumole would make it to the NRL because all his friends that he was playing with at the time got picked for Parramatta, and other clubs, but he never did. We never knew why,” his mother Ana told this masthead.
Olakau’atu did his best to hide the hurt that come from never being selection but Ana saw right through her son’s heart ache over never being considered good enough to sign with the Eels.
“He was always sad about it at the time, but would never share it. But we could tell that he was hurt and really wanted to get picked and play at Parramatta,” Ana said.
“No matter what, we still supported him. We followed him wherever he went and took him to all the games and training.”
Olakau’atu played for three Parramatta junior rugby league clubs including Fairfield United, Wentworthville United and Mounties before eventually landing at the Berala Bears, in the Canterbury Bulldogs catchment.
“Haumole was always very committed to his training. He would just keep going and keep trying to make it even though he never got picked,” Ana said.
“He watched his friends play in representative teams except him, he was left playing for Fairfield United, Wentys, Mounties and then he ended up at the Berala Bears.”
Had Olakau’atu not slipped through Parramatta’s fingers, the club would have a local junior making their State of Origin debut on Wednesday night.
Eels forward J’Maine Hopgood will run out for Queensland, but the 25-year old is a product of Penrith’s pathways system.
For Olakau’atu, his Eels heartbreak started years before any junior representative rejection.
As a child he never missed a Parramatta game and would even be brought to tears when his beloved Eels lost a match.
“You know, Haumole when he was younger every time Parramatta lost a game, he would cry over it,” his father Ofa revealed.
“His brothers and cousins would poke fun at him and he would just cry saying ‘they are teasing me about Parramatta’.”
While Olakau’atu could never crack Parramatta’s system, Wayne Lambkin, Manly’s under 20s coach at the time, spotted him as a 17-year old in the car park at a Sea Eagles training session.
Without any hesitation, Lambkin recruited Olakau’atu into the under 20s said that would go on to beat the Eels in the 2017 Holden Cup grand final.
Seven years later Olakau’atu will deliver another dagger to Parramatta when he makes his Blues debut at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night not as Eel but as a Sea Eagle.
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Originally published as State of Origin 2023: Inside Haumole Olakau’atu’s rise from Parramatta Eels reject to NSW Blues debut for Manly
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