Tongan wrecking ball Viliami Vailea brought to tears ahead of Cowboys debut
Viliami Vailea and his dad shared a few tears as the 21-year-old broke the news that he would make his Cowboys debut against the Dolphins. Read about the touching moment he called home.
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North Queensland centre Viliami Vailea has opened up on the emotional moment he told his parents he would become Cowboy No.315 when he makes his club debut on Saturday against the Dolphins.
The rock-solid wrecking ball was brought to tears when he called his parents on Tuesday after coach Todd Payten delivered the good news at training.
Vailea, 21, said he had an inkling that he could be in line for his first NRL game since round 9 last year after Tom Chester suffered a hamstring injury against the Panthers, but he didn’t get his hopes up until his suspicion was confirmed.
“Toddy (Payten) told me yesterday when he came into the changeroom. He said I’m making my debut and I was happy, I didn’t know what to say,” Vailea said.
“I messaged my missus first and then I was going to tell my mum and dad but I waited until I got home to call them.
“I called my dad – he was offline. Then I called my mum and she answered the phone and she said my dad’s too sleepy (to talk), then I told her that I’m making my debut and she was happy that now she can watch me play on the TV.
“Then she went and woke up my dad and once I told my dad that I’m making my debut, then he just stopped for a bit and I knew he was crying.
“It was making me cry but I knew he was happy that I’m making my debut.”
Vailea grew up in Tonga before finishing off his high school at Aorere College in New Zealand, where he was a star rugby union player typically at five-eighth or fullback.
His skills didn’t go unnoticed and the Warriors took a chance at converting the young talent to rugby league where his game has lifted to the next level.
Vailea said he had to work hard to get to the same fitness level as his teammates after visa issues delayed his Cowboys return after spending Christmas in Tonga.
“I was stuck there for like a month and it was pretty tough for me when I came back,” Vailea said.
“The boys (were at) a higher level than me, their energy and that, so I tried to get to the level they were and getting consistency.I did a lot of extras after training – it was pretty tough but I needed it.
“I’m marking Tesi Niu (this weekend), he’s a Tongan fella too, he’s tough. I watched his highlights and I watched him playing for Brisbane, I feel like it’s a good challenge for me to play against him.”
Cowboys teammate Jeremiah Nanai will line up inside the rampaging centre, and he backed Vailea to step up to the challenge.
“I’m very excited for him to get his debut this week and I think he’ll bring a lot of punch in the back there,” Nanai said.
“He’s a strong ballrunner and he’s got a good carry on him too.”
The Cowboys host the Dolphins on Saturday night, kick off at 7.35pm.
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Originally published as Tongan wrecking ball Viliami Vailea brought to tears ahead of Cowboys debut
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