Titans star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui opens up on injury hell, recovery from ACL rupture

Titans star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has opened up on the lowest moment in his recovery from a knee injury, revealing how he was in so much anguish he hid under a blanket and cried. WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui is carried from the field in round 3 last year. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Gold Coast Titans enforcer Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is ready to unleash in his return to the NRL this year.

Fa’asuamaleaui is on the cusp of making his comeback from a knee injury which saw him miss all but two games last season and the entire State of Origin series.

Having travelled to America to complete his rehabilitation with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles, Fa’asuamaleaui is preparing to return bigger and better in 2025.

“I’m very excited,” Fa’asuamaleaui said.

“I’ve got to take it day by day, get my knee right, head right and physically get ready for the big boys on the field.

“I’ve been in the cage for twelve months. Being able to control that has been the biggest thing.

“There’s been times where I’ve already unleashed that.”

Gold Coast star Tino Fa'asuamaleui is ready to return from a knee injury. Pic: Titans Digital

Fa’asuamaleaui, 24, has developed a reputation for being one of the NRL’s most feared forwards.

A Kangaroos and Queensland Origin prop, he is the heartbeat of the Titans club he captains.

That is why his season-ending knee injury in round 3 last year was a devastating blow for a Gold Coast team playing under new coach Des Hasler.

The Titans not only lost Fa’asuamaleaui’s high workrate, but also his on-field presence and intimidation factor. They lost their first six games, and last five, on the way to finishing in the bottom four.

When his knee buckled in an awkward tackle involving Bulldogs forward Max King, Fa’asuamaleaui immediately knew it was one of sport’s most dreaded injuries – an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui injures his ACL.

“When I heard after that scan that night in Sydney, it hits you,” he said.

“When you have surgery and get home, you feel the pain.

“You’re not able to get up and play with the kids or have a shower properly. That’s when it all hits you.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for my family encouraging me and pushing me through the rehab.”

Fa’asuamaleaui is as fearsome as they come on the field.

He is a gentle giant off it when it comes to his three daughters, but isn’t usually one to show much emotion.

The physical and mental struggles of his injury changed that.

“I don’t really cry much – my missus always says ‘be more emotional, it’s all right’,” he said.

“The big one was when I was laying in bed one night, probably a bit high on drugs because the pain was so bad, I couldn’t sleep, and I just broke down.

“I hid myself under the blanket. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry.

“I get a bit emotional talking about it now.”

Fa'asuamaleaui knew instantly he had done his ACL. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Growing tired of the monotonous grind of injury rehabilitation, Fa’asuamaleaui asked the Titans about the possibility of heading abroad to mix up his training.

He had heard about Knowles, the injury guru who has previously worked with NRL stars Latrell Mitchell, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Tom Trbojevic.

The Titans decided to help Fa’asuamaleaui make the trip to the United States and documented his journey with a film – Keep Moving Forward – which will be released on Wednesday.

Fa’asuamaleaui got to work one-on-one with Knowles for two weeks, training eight hours a day while Titans fitness staff supported.

Knowles challenged Fa’asuamaleaui in ways he didn’t expect.

“It was intense, training one-on-one from 8am-4pm with just a lunch break,” he said.

“I just kept working until I got it right. I got a lot of confidence out of it and also a different point of view of things.

“I got into a new environment which was good mentally.

“Usually he has three or four athletes from around the world but I was lucky that it was just one-on-one. Instead of him focusing on four guys, he was just with me.

“He is a character. He is full-on. He keeps it simple and brings the energy every day.

“He gets you excited to learn about the body and how the knee works and improving it during the journey.

“There’s been times where I’ve missed that.”

Fa'asuamaleaui has been working on his rehab. Pic: Titans Digital

Knowles wanted Fa’asuamaleaui to stop thinking of his repaired right knee negatively.

“He treats all knee injuries the same and gets you working,” he said.

“He wants you to nail the basics but also get your head right.

“At the start he asked me which one was my bad knee and I said ‘my right’. He said ‘is that a bad knee?’.

“I was confused but he was telling me not to think it’s a bad knee because if you do that you will always put it at that level. He plays with your mind.”

Fa’asuamaleaui recently returned to full training with his Titans teammates and is on track to play in Gold Coast’s second trial against the Dolphins at Redcliffe on February 22.

He has committed to the Titans until 2033, albeit with options in his contract, and is determined to bring premiership success to the success-starved Gold Coast.

“I just want to get on the field and find my feet. I’ve been out for almost a year so it’s not just going to happen straight away,” he said.

“Because I couldn’t do anything I felt like I let the boys down last year. I couldn’t be out there to help the boys at their low. I could hear comments from the crowd and there’s social media.

“As a leader you want to take all that brunt and negative stuff so the boys don’t feel it. You want to protect them.

“The past two years have been tough but we know what we need to do to get there.

“I love this club. I want to achieve something that hasn’t been done before.”

Originally published as Titans star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui opens up on injury hell, recovery from ACL rupture