NRL grand final 2023: Penrith’s quiet achiever Izack Tago eyes Dally M centre of year award

In a team of superstars and even bigger personalities, Dally M centre candidate Izack Tago is Penrith’s quiet achiever with a unique recipe for success.

Panthers player Izack Tago with his flip phone. Picture: Jonathan Ng

He loves books, has three phones and doesn’t feel worthy of being nominated for Dally M centre of the year. Meet Penrith’s quiet achiever Izack Tago.

Tago is in the running for the prestigious award on Wednesday night, alongside star centres Bradman Best, Campbell Graham, Kotoni Staggs, Herbie Farnworth and teammate Stephen Crichton.

Hamstring and pectoral injuries have limited Tago to just 14 games in the regular season but his performances were enough to capture the attention of Dally M judges. Still, Tago is uncomfortable talking up his chances.

“I’m in good company, I’m grateful to be recognised with them but I don’t know if I really deserve or would be a worthy winner,” Tago said.

“I haven’t really played much of the season. I don’t really think it should be me, not this year at least.”

Teammate Nathan Cleary believes Tago would have been a shoo-in for the award if not for the injuries that sidelined him for half of the season.

“He won’t say it but he is definitely worthy. It’s only a matter of time that he wins that award,” Cleary said.

Izack Tago with his flip phone. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“When he’s been on the field he has been just about our best player every time. He’s got that flair, speed and strength. The work he puts into his game is incredible, he’s very diligent for a guy so young.”

Tago, 21, has the time to be diligent since making the unorthodox decision for someone his age to shun social media.

Twelve months ago Tago revealed to this masthead he uses an old school flip phone to ensure he stays off the internet.

But he now owns three phones and no, the rising centre hasn’t caught the tech bug.

He cycles through the phones based on his mood.

This week, however, Tago is ditching the other two phones for his trusty flip phone in a bid to stay focused on the job at hand, helping Penrith to three-straight title wins.

“I still have the flip phone, but I upgraded too. Actually, right now I float in between three phones,” Tago revealed.

“It really depends on how I feel and which phone I use on that day.

“I’ve got an iPhone now, but I don’t really like it, I feel like it’s not for me. I have a separate Nokia one too that I only use for WhatsApp.

Panthers centre Izack Tago will line up in Sunday’s grand final. Picture: NRL Photos

“But I’ll be jumping back on the flip phone this week and I think I’ll use that until I’m back for pre-season next year.”

Tago is also ditching social media after dabbling in it over the last year.

He has an Instagram account but doesn’t use it. Tago calls it ‘ghost mode’.

In a team filled with superstars and bigger personalities, it’s an apt description of the unassuming Tago as an NRL player who prefers to be in the shadows both on and off the field.

“I jumped on the iPhone but it was hard for me to work out … it was hard, like an old person using it for the first time,” Tago laughed.

“I could use it enough to get by but there are heaps of new technologies and I didn’t really know what the purpose of it was.

“Then I found myself on Insta a lot more, and I don’t really like that stuff so I’m jumping off this week and getting rid of Instagram as well.

“No posts, no stories, just ghost mode.”

While Tago won’t be refreshing his news feed or Instagram reels this week, he will be flipping through the pages of a book dedicated to the craft of meditation.

The self-confessed bibliophile would rather spend his free-time reading than mindlessly scrolling the internet.

“I’m reading a book called ‘Becoming Supernatural’ by Joe Dispenza,” Tago said.

“It looks at the power of the mind, it looks at different experiments on mediation and the effects it can have on you.

“I like it because it mixes meditation with the science side. It shows all the statistics and statistics don’t lie.

“Meditation is foreign to a lot of people so I just want to learn more. I’ve been trying to actively practise meditation. Mental fitness is important, especially in today’s society.”

Tago is hoping to harness the tools in the book in the lead-up to Sunday’s grand final against Brisbane.

Originally published as NRL grand final 2023: Penrith’s quiet achiever Izack Tago eyes Dally M centre of year award