Robert Toia tells remarkable story of how he connected with cousin, Dallas Cowboys NFL gun, Jay
It started with a query from a teammate. Then came the text message. This is the remarkable story of how a Roosters and Maroons gun connected with his cousin Jay Toia, a defensive tackle with the Dallas Cowboys.
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“I think we’re cousins”.
Those were the four words to Sydney Roosters centre Robert Toia that made him realise he was related to a Dallas Cowboys NFL star.
Jay Toia, a defensive tackle, reached out to Robert on Instagram after he made his NRL debut earlier this year.
In doing so, the pair connected a family tree that stretches across the Pacific Ocean and revealed roots that are entrenched in American football.
Robert, a Queensland Origin debutant this season, made some family inquiries which confirmed Jay was actually his second cousin, the pair related through Robert’s dad, Beau, and Jay’s father, Viliami.
Jay and Robert have now exchanged several messages and plan to finally meet up although finding the right time will be challenging given the NRL and NFL don’t overlap.
Viliami has invited Robert and his family to visit America.
Robert and Jay may be related, but certainly offer vastly different physical attributes. Robert, 20, weighs 100kg and stands 183cm, Jay weighs 155kg and is 188cm tall.
Jay, 21, played college football for the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins before being selected by Dallas in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Roosters player Siua Wong actually saw Jay Toia’s name on an honour board inside UCLA when the Roosters trained at the Los Angeles complex last year before travelling to Las Vegas to play an NRL game.
Wong took a photo of Jay’s name and sent it to Robert, who was injured at the time and part of the Roosters’ academy side. New Zealand-born Robert sent a message back to Wong confirmed he had distant relatives in California but had no idea he was a budding NFL star.
“Jay was born in California, so we haven’t met in person yet, but he messaged me on socials, and we’ve connected and exchanged a couple of messages,” Robert said.
“It’s pretty cool having that family connection, especially with him chasing his dream in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. Hopefully we’ll get to meet in person soon.
“Siua (Wong) actually saw Jay’s name on one of the honour boards at UCLA when the team was over there in Los Angeles training before the Vegas game last year, and he sent it to me asking if we were related. I told him we were cousins through our dads.”
Jay was born in Inglewood, LA, but moved to the Virgin Islands during his infancy before returning to California in 2017.
He was brought up playing rugby before being introduced to American football by his uncle, Chris Maumalanga, a former NFL defensive tackle.
Jay’s brother, Siaki Ika, was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
His younger brother, Soane Toia, is a rising defensive tackle at San Jose State University.
Robert has nine siblings – six brothers and three sisters – with two brothers already at the Roosters – Aholoka and Mana.
An evasive centre, Robert has overcome two ruptured ACLs and a broken jaw within three years to establish himself among the NRL’s elite centres.
He was chosen to play State of Origin this season after just 10 first grade games for the Roosters.
America’s NFL season starts in early September.
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Originally published as Robert Toia tells remarkable story of how he connected with cousin, Dallas Cowboys NFL gun, Jay
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