By Nick Wright
Rugby league has produced a remarkable rise from obscurity for Aublix Tawha, one that’s taken him through Amsterdam and Yass – and away from his New Zealand home town.
But now, the unheralded Dolphins enforcer is looking ahead as he seeks to repay coach Kristian Woolf’s faith in him and help salvage a season plagued by an injury curse.
“Woolfy says he believes in me and that I can do the job, so I just want to prove him right, and prove to the boys I can be here to back them up,” Tawha said, ahead of his side’s Thursday night clash with the Cowboys – his fourth NRL appearance.
Aublix Tawha is one of the few remaining middle forwards the Dolphins have to call on.Credit: NRL Photos
“It’s crazy, someone like that saying they believe in you. Coming from where I come from, you never thought you’d talk to someone of that calibre.
“Now I’m here playing NRL and he’s telling me that – I just don’t want to let him down.”
Tawha left Hamilton for Australia as a bright-eyed teenager to ply his trade for the Tweed Seagulls five years ago, before a shoulder injury seemingly ended his NRL crusade.
He moved back across the ditch for a period, before taking up a shock opportunity to play rugby union in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic. He later returned home, where he settled for local football while working as a scaffolder.
But an out-of-the-blue call from Yass Magpies in 2023 turned his fortunes around. There, he was spotted by former Redcliffe Dolphins coach and Brisbane Broncos forward Ben Te’o and produced a breakout Queensland Cup season.
“I sort of gave up; it wasn’t until I went to Europe that it sparked it back up for me. It gave me the inspiration to have another crack,” Tawha said.
“Where I’m from, there’s a lot of drinking, and there’s not really much there. If you’re not playing footy, or you don’t have a good education, there’s not much good to get up to.
“For me, footy was a way out.”
Tawha’s opportunity may not have come this soon if not for the Dolphins’ health crisis, with more than a third of the squad currently sidelined.
Woolf’s first-choice forward pack – Thomas Flegler, Daniel Saifiti (both shoulder), Tom Gilbert (pectoral), Max Plath (ACL) and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (fractured thumb) – are all out, with only Finefeuiaki due back this year.
Fellow forwards Felise Kaufusi (knee), Mark Nicholls (concussion) and Sebastian Su’a (knee) are also unavailable for Thursday’s clash with the North Queensland Cowboys, as are winger Jack Bostock (ACL) and five-eighth Kodi Nikorima (hamstring).
The onus has now fallen on Tawha, along with mid-season recruit Francis Molo, Kurt Donoghoe, Ray Stone and the off-contract Josh Kerr to produce a middle rotation that keeps their hopes of a maiden finals campaign alive.
Former Cowboys forward Peter Hola has also been brought in for his Dolphins’ debut.
“Pete Hola I’ve been impressed with through the preseason, he was a guy w wanted to see play a little bit more through the trials and unfortunately, I think it was only 10 or 15 minutes into his first trial he got a pec injury which put him out for a period,” Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said.
“I’ve kept an eye on him since then, and he’s been one of, if not the most, dominant prop in the Queensland Cup. He gets that opportunity, and he’s ready for it.”
According to Kerr, whose form garnered a call-up into the Queensland Maroons’ squad for game three of the State of Origin series, a newfound commitment to his defence has equipped him to support the under-siege engine room.
“I really thought in my previous years, if I just came on and did that attack job and got away with some things in defence, that would pay off. But I’ve never really had much success; I’ve never played finals football in rugby league,” Kerr said, as he declared his desire to remain in Dolphins’ colours.
“If I’m being honest, if we had Tom Flegler, Tom Gilbert, Daniel Saifiti, all these guys back, I’m not sure where I would fit into that team.
“I wanted to change some things this year. You can’t play rugby league forever, so I’ve got to go out there guns blazing.”
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