Tyrell Fuimaono goes from M4 road crew to St George Dragons NRL contract
New St George Dragons signing Tyrell Fuimaono’s road back to the NRL for 2020 had an interesting twist.
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Three days before Christmas Tyrell Fuimaono was working on the M4 in baking heat in a road crew.
A talented young NRL player, a long string of injuries and seven surgeries had left Fuimaono battling to find a club willing to give him a chance.
But the 23-year-old refused to accept his NRL career was over after brief stints at both the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Penrith Panthers.
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“At the time I was working in construction on the roads, going to work at 6.30am and working to 5.30pm and then going on to training,’’ he said.
“I was doing my own pre-season in case something came through. They were long hours.’’
On December 22 he learned the Dragons wanted him on a two-year contract - a lifeline back into the NRL for the young utility who came out the Parramatta under-20s system following a junior career at St Clair and Mt Druitt playing football for St Marys.
“I was stoked, I was rapt,’’ he said.
“Each club has 30 spots and there wasn’t many spots left. I was lucky the Dragons had one.
“It's a lot better than fixing roads in 40 degree heat.’’
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Fuimaono, who plans to move out of the family home at St Clair he shares with his mother and sister Taliah, also a talented footballer, to be closer to training at Wollongong, said his late call-up has made him more appreciative than ever to be playing the game he loves.
“Working 11 hour days back to back does make you appreciate what you have more so than before,’’ said Fuimaono, whose uncle Sean Felstead also played in the NRL and whose sister represented Samoa at the rugby league World Cup in 2018.
“Not that I wasn’t appreciative before. But it does refresh in your mind how lucky you are.’’
Fuimaono is now settled in at the Dragons and hoping his body holds up.
“I’m injury free, this is my first pre-season in three years I haven’t had surgery,’’ he said.
“I just want to be a consistent NRL player again and get myself back to as physically good as I can.’’
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