NRL Schoolboy Cup: Endeavour Sports High forward Izayah Tuigamala struggles to fit into XL jersey
The growing frame of Endeavour Sports High forward Izayah Tuigamala is so imposing the coach had to scramble to find him a jersey big enough to fit. Not surprisingly, he’s also on the radar of NRL clubs.
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Rugby league loves a cult hero and the NRL Schoolboy Cup has delivered one of its own in 16-year old Izayah Tuigamala.
Sporting facial hair beyond his teenage years, the Endeavour Sports High forward ran out onto Mascot Oval on Wednesday afternoon in an unfamiliar number on his back.
The no. 25 jersey was the only jumper the school could find that was big enough to fit the teenager’s 115 kilogram frame.
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“He tried to get the no. 17 jersey on, where he was named, yesterday and it didn’t fit. It actually turned white when he put it on, it was stretching so much. So that’s the only one that fits him, so it looks like he’ll be no. 25 if he plays again next week,” Endeavour coach Brad Kelly said.
The year 11 student, who is nowhere near finished growing into his already imposing frame, joked he hoped he would “taller not wider.”
“Unfortunately the XL wasn’t made for my type of body but we found one that somewhat fit in the no. 25, this one is painted on too actually. It’s XXL but I’m even making that look like a sports bra at the moment,” Tuigamala said.
Having grown up and lived in Eveleigh his whole life, Tuigamala is making his way through the junior ranks at Redfern and is part of South Sydney’s SG Ball squad.
But the youngster revealed he could be on his way to the club affiliated with his school, the Cronulla Sharks.
“I’m currently in negotiations with Sharks but I’m still with South Sydney. I’m happy to be anywhere, as long as I get onto the park then it’s fine by me,” Tuigamala said.
It’s easy to see why Tuigamala is on Cronulla’s radar.
The prop was a standout in Endeavour’s 46-6 victory over Matraville Sports High on Wednesday. When the South Sydney junior wasn’t making try saving tackles on his own goal line, he was setting up his playmakers for their own four-pointers.
The likeable larrikin has just as much impact on his side from the bench.
“You can definitely hear him, he’s very loud and he loves revving the team up with his loud voice and positive talk. He’s a great kid. I knew once he came onto the field he’d inject a bit of spark and enthusiasm for them. He’s definitely a character though, you don’t want to stand too close if he’s yelling, that‘s for sure,” coach Kelly said.
Outside of football, the well-spoken Tuigamala, who captained the NSW Koori Under-16s team in 2019, has aspirations to become a criminal defence lawyer.
“I’d love to go to university and study criminal law at either the University of Sydney or UNSW. It’s something I have always had a passion for,” Tuigamala said.