Canterbury front-rower Renouf Atoni reveals why he changed his name from To’omaga

The name Renouf Atoni will be unfamiliar to most Bulldogs fans but the face should be recognisable as the Canterbury forward reveals why he changed his surname.

Renouf Atoni has changed his name to honour his father. Picture: AAP

Renouf Atoni might not be a name familiar to Bulldogs fans but he has already played 29 top grade games for the club.

The front-rower changed his surname from To’omaga to Atoni during the off-season to pay homage to his dad’s family.

“I’ve had it in mind for a while and wanted to change my name since I came into first grade,” Atoni said.

Watch Live & On-Demand coverage of NRL pre-season trial matches on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial now & start streaming instantly >

“When I was born my parents weren’t married. My mum put myself and my older sister under her last name and that’s how we spent our whole lives. My parents are married now so there’s no real point in not having the same surname.

“Before I got married I wanted to carry my dad’s last name. It’s been on my grandparents minds for a while now.

“Obviously I love my mum’s side but I just wanted to carry my dad’s name.”

Renouf Atoni has changed his name to honour his father. Picture: AAP

Atoni started the process midway through last year with the paperwork finally arriving just weeks before his wedding in October.

He said his family were left emotional when he told them.

“I called my nan and showed her my certificate and she could’ve cried,” Atoni said.

“My granddad gave me a ‘that’s my boy’ type vibe. I’m half Samoan and half from Tokelau Island. Hopefully it puts me on the map for Tokelau’s who watch the game and make them proud.

“A lot of people were saying they had to double check if I was still the same dude when people read his name this year.

“I’m like what are the chances of having two Renouf’s?”

Before he changed his surname it was his first name which draw the attention of people when he first made his debut for the Bulldogs in 2018.

Atoni was named after Broncos legend Steve.

Bulldogs fans will have to get used to the name Renouf Atoni. Picture: AAP

“He was my dad’s favourite player,” Atoni said.

“When I was about eight I asked him about my name. I was like ‘why didn’t you just call me Steve at least that sounds normal’.

“It was when I came into the under-20s that I checked out what kind of player he was.”

The 25-year-old is off-contract at seasons’s end after coming off his best season in the top grade where he featured in 16 games.

Atoni said there had been a massive culture shift under new coach Trent Barrett.

“Trent is really driving some core values within the team,” Atoni said.

“He brings it up every day which is good for us. Hopefully we can build off what he is trying to create. It’s a real good vibe.”

Originally published as Canterbury front-rower Renouf Atoni reveals why he changed his name from To’omaga