Jason Taumalolo pledges slice of million dollar salary to aid Tonga

The Cowboys captain pledged to send money and drinking water to Tonga with his family members running out of food and drinking water in the wake of the island’s volcano disaster.

Proud Tongan Jason Taumalolo. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

TONGAN rugby league captain Jason Taumalolo has pledged part of his million-dollar salary and deliveries of clean drinking water to assist in his island nation’s disaster relief effort.

Taumalolo revealed this pre-season had been his toughest as a footballer as concern for family members trapped in Tonga pulled his focus away from the training paddock and the upcoming NRL season.

The Cowboys captain lost contact with his family for over a week when an undersea communications cable to Tonga was damaged in an offshore volcanic eruption on January 15 that caused a tsunami.

He said family members were running out of food and drinking water as volcanic ash contaminated much of the country’s available supply.

“It’s been a pretty tough off-season given everything that’s happened, especially for my people back in Tonga,” Taumalolo said.

“A lot of the damage has been caused by the tsunami but also the ash-flow that happened after the volcano.

“I think they said about 90 per cent of Tonga was covered in ash. They don’t have much drinking water over there and much food supplies.

“They don’t have banks up and running so they can’t get money to buy supplies.

“They’re kind of in a tough spot at the moment.”

Jason Taumalolo. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Even if the ability to travel home was available to him, Taumalolo said the proximity to the Cowboys’ season opener against the Bulldogs on March 13 made such a decision impossible.

“I’d like to stay here and focus on the club first,” he said.

“That’s my first priority at the moment, and everyone back at home as well.”

Taumalolo confirmed he would be sending money back to Tonga when banks reopened and was investigating ways to gift fresh drinking water in the meantime.

The Cowboys and Taumalolo have begun working on an initiative to gather more support for the island but planning remains in its infancy.

The Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors have dedicated their pre-season trial in Melbourne on February 19 towards fundraising for disaster relief.

One in seven NRL players is of Tongan heritage.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption, 65km north of the Tongan mainland, killed three people and caused widespread damage, with Mango Island reporting complete destruction of all homes.

Foreign aid brought with it Tonga’s first confirmed Covid case this week, sparking an open-ended lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.

Just over 60 per cent of Tonga’s population of 107,609 had been vaccinated as of Wednesday.

Taumalolo’s own vaccination status remains a mystery after he was shielded from questions at a press conference on Tuesday.

Bizarre Taumalolo press conference leaves fans with few answers

JASON Taumalolo will play for North Queensland in 2022 but that was all the Cowboys’ highest paid player had to say about his Covid-19 vaccination saga in an evasive press conference on Tuesday.

In his first media appearance since coach Todd Payten declared the Cowboys captain was available for selection in Round 1 Taumalolo refused to answer any questions linked to his medical history.

Queensland Health has no record of Taumalolo seeking or receiving a medical exemption to the vaccine.

“Anyone entering a major sporting stadium in Queensland must be fully vaccinated, unless they have a medical contraindication. We have no record of this NRL player attempting to seek an exemption to this rule,” a Queensland Health spokesperson said.

So how was Taumalolo able to be selected?

If the answer is because he is now fully-vaccinated Taumalolo went to great lengths to hide that on Tuesday, fuelling anxiety for a fanbase desperate to keep its star player on the pitch for as long as possible in 2022.

“I won’t be disclosing any information about my medical information,” was Taumalolo’s go-to answer for any question that even remotely approached the virus, the vaccine or talk of an exemption.

The $1m per-season middle forward used that response to evade four questions in a row before a team official interrupted the press conference to demand “more respect” and to move on to the footy – and then twice again afterwards.

“Sorry to (not) answer your question but I won’t be disclosing any information about my medical information,” Taumalolo replied when asked how he had become Covid compliant.

“That’s purely because I’d like that private. I won’t be answering any more questions about my medical information.”

Asked for a statement to vaccinated fans who saw him as the leader of their club Taumalolo refused: “I can’t answer that, I’m sorry.”

Would he be travelling to England at the end of the season for Tonga’s World Cup campaign?

“I haven’t looked that far ahead. At this time I won’t be answering any questions about my medical information.”

When asked if his availability for Round 1 also meant he would be eligible for selection later in the season Taumalolo gave a mixed answer.

“I’ll be playing the NRL season,” he said.

“I’m not going to harp on about exemptions and injections and whatnot. Whatever I do to my body that’s my information. All I know is I’ll be playing round one and that’s all that matters.”

The Cowboys declined to specify how, citing their commitment to protect private medical data, but clarified that Taumalolo had met all requirements to play in Stadiums Qld venues in 2022.

That clears Taumalolo to play in every rugby league stadium in the country except Melbourne’s AAMI Park, where the Cowboys will not to travel this year unless for finals.

Taumalolo’s most illuminating answer on his Covid-19 stance came when asked if he believed the circumstances surrounding the departure of his good mate and former Cowboys and Tongan teammate John Asiata to the UK was a shame.

Jason Taumalolo. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Asiata debuted for English second division club Leigh on Monday night (AEST) after his refusal to be vaccinated led the Bulldogs to tear up his contract for 2022.

“It definitely is (a shame),” the 29-year-old said.

“I’m sad. I’m a good friend of his and it is sad to see him leave the competition.

“I haven’t spoken to him about what’s happened off the field but I did say good luck to him going into last night’s game.”

Taumalolo revealed to News Corp that he had contracted Covid-19 during the pre-season but any temporary exemption gained via infection would expire four months from infection.

One in 675 vaccine-eligible Australians have been awarded the four-month temporary exemption.

The permanent exemption is rarer, with medical conditions contributing to a one in 16,666 rate in Australia.

Originally published as Jason Taumalolo pledges slice of million dollar salary to aid Tonga