You know you’ve become a big deal when you can attract the prime minister and several members of the royal family to a footy game on a Sunday afternoon in November.
There is so much excitement surrounding Tongan rugby league after they shocked New Zealand last weekend to reach their first major final, against Australia at Parramatta on Sunday.
If you look hard enough, there might be the odd green and gold Kangaroos jersey somewhere to be seen among the sea of red and white that will take over a packed CommBank Stadium.
The Crown Prince – and the future King of Tonga – Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala, Princess Angelika and Tongan prime minister Siaosi Sovaleni will all be at the game, watching with pride as their tiny Pacific nation attempts to stun rugby league’s best team for a second time.
To truly appreciate just how far Tonga have come, you have to cast your mind back to an autumn night a little further down the road in Penrith in 2013.
Tonga were about to thump Samoa for the first time in forever, and the fans could no longer contain their excitement – so they stormed the ground.
Tonga players celebrate a try in their upset win over New Zealand to reach the Pacific Championships final.Credit: Getty Images
There was still a minute or two to play, but with no chance of a comeback, referee Matt Cecchin called it a night. Security quickly ushered him and the players up the tunnel. Playmaker Samisoni Langi was about to line up a conversion, but soon realised it was never going to happen, especially when the ball disappeared, then his kicking tee.
That game was also the first time coach Kristian Woolf had been part of the Tongan squad. He was an assistant coach to Charlie Tonga, and was mesmerised by the raw emotion and love the players had for one another and the game.
“I still haven’t seen too many players run the ball as hard as Fuifui Moimoi did that night – he was coming off the back fence,” Woolf recalls. “Samoa had more NRL players than us, and they were fancied to beat us. Our fans jumped the fence and ran on to the field. None of them were being nasty, they were just elated and wanted to show their support.”
Fans storm the field after the clash between Tonga and Samoa at Penrith in 2013 - before the full-time whistle.Credit: NRL Photos
The days leading up to that first game also gave Woolf a snapshot of just how unorganised things were behind the scenes.
Australia, New Zealand and England all ran tight ships with unlimited resources and the very best medical teams. Tonga did not even have a bus driver.
“I turned up that week and ended up driving the team bus because I was the only one with a truck driver’s licence,” Woolf says.
“I don’t know what we would have done had I not been there. We had a 22-seat bus that used to take 25 Tongans everywhere. It felt like we hit every speed hump when going to training.
“Fuifui would sit at the front of the bus, and he would tell me all about Tonga. Just those conversations, Fuifui made me feel incredibly welcome.
Tongan fans dominated the Suncorp Stadium crowd in last month’s Test against Australia.Credit: Getty Images
“I’m not Tongan, but I’ve never ever felt like I haven’t been a part of the group. And if I ever felt that way, I wouldn’t have continued in the role.”
Woolf wanted in, but knew if Tonga were going to reach their full potential, they needed to win back a few of the local NRL stars who had since pledged their allegiance to the Kangaroos and Kiwis.
To help do that, Tonga needed to prove they could get fair dinkum with their set-up and training camps. Woolf knew the players would be giving up a lot of representative money.
In 2017, Jason Taumalolo walked away from $20,000 a Test playing for New Zealand for $500 a game with Tonga. In 2018, Andrew Fifita ruled himself out of the State of Origin series, where he stood to collect $30,000 a game for NSW, to pocket $1500 for a one-off mid-year Test with Tonga.
Kristian Woolf celebrates anoyther special moment with a fan in Auckland last weekend.Credit: Getty Images
While they were attracting players, the immediate headache for the Tongans was playing a game.
In 2014, Woolf’s first year in charge, Tonga had no games scheduled. Papua New Guinea stepped forward and paid for all their flights, accommodation, meals and military-like vehicles to transfer them down a dangerous stretch of highway between the capital Port Moresby and Lau.
It was no holiday, but it helped Woolf work out which players were genuine about wanting to play for their country.
“That trip told us who was committed and who wasn’t committed – a few guys suddenly found a reason not to be on that tour,” he says.
Forward Felise Kaufusi made his debut in 2015, and remembers the moment meaning so much to his family. Three of his sisters – Nesi, Tia and Moana – cut short a holiday in Fiji to rush back to the Gold Coast to watch him in action against Samoa.
On Sunday, Kaufusi’s mother, Pelenatita, and four of his siblings, plus a nephew, will complete the 15-hour one-way drive from Bundaberg to Sydney to watch the Test.
“It still works out to be cheaper than all the flights, but they wouldn’t miss it,” Kaufusi says.
The turning point for Tonga – and the international game – came in 2017 when Taumalolo and Fifita pledged their allegiance to the island nation for the Rugby League World Cup. Woolf hated the fact Australia and New Zealand were unhappy about the players turning out for the rugby league minnows, especially when they had no issues poaching them in the first place.
You get the feeling it is still a sore point.
Tonga celebrate their breakthrough win over Australia at Eden Park.Credit: Getty
“When people started using words like ‘Tongan turncoats’ and ‘defectors’, I thought it was really disrespectful and short-sighted,” Woolf says.
“It wasn’t just the Aussies, it was New Zealand as well, and there was no recognising or appreciating most of these players had already represented Tonga in the past. They were all happy to make those calls to the players when they were with Tonga, but didn’t like it when things went the other way.”
Tonga stunned New Zealand 28-22 at that World Cup, and they should have beaten England in the semi-final in one of the most memorable games in the tournament’s history before losing 20-18.
In 2019, Tonga defeated Australia 16-12 at Eden Park. What made that victory extra special was the former Tongan board tried to overthrow Woolf and appoint a local as coach, only to get the shock of their lives when the entire squad refused to play until they removed themselves.
Tonga supporters are expected to dominate the crowd again in Sunday’s Pacific Championships final.Credit: Rhett Wyman
The group stuck solid with Woolf, and have ever since.
Woolf, 48, should take a bow. But he refuses to take any credit.
In a sense, the commitment shown to Tonga, and results he has achieved, helped land him an NRL head coaching job with the Dolphins. Good guys don’t always finish last.
Woolf passed on the chance this week to stay in the city, and opted for Rooty Hill, in Sydney’s west, where most of the Tongan population in Sydney reside. They have access to gyms and pools, and have been paid regular visits by former players, including Willie Manu, Feleti Mateo, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Peni Terepo, and Fifita, who addressed the group on Thursday night. There’s even a bus driver.
“It has changed, but it’s still close to voluntary work for the coaches and staff – we get paid enough to cover a coffee or beer at the end of the night, but do it because we love it and what this means to the players and fans,” Woolf says.
There were wild scenes last Saturday when Tonga won a 25-24 thriller against New Zealand in Auckland to reach the Pacific Championships decider. The Crown Prince addressed some of the players after full-time.
Who knows what could happen late Sunday in downtown Parramatta if Tonga produce another monster upset.
“I’m very aware of what opportunity we have in front of us,” Woolf says. “I’m also extremely aware of how big a challenge it is. We’re playing Australia, the best team in the world for such a long time, on Australian soil.
“A lot has changed in 10 years. I’m not even sure the young players in this group are aware of how quickly things have changed.
“We have a dream, we want to believe, and that’s what we will do.
“There’s nothing I’ve experienced in this game that compares to Tonga winning in New Zealand. I was reminded of that last week. I’d love to think we’ll get similar scenes on Sunday.
“What happens if we win? Chaos.”
The Pacific Championships is Live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now