The enormity of a World Cup clash with Pacific rivals Tonga is not lost on Melbourne fullback Sua Fa'alogo, whose father will travel from Samoa to watch his son play live for the first time.
Fa'alogo’s father Eti, who lives in a village called Si'umu, has never watched his electrifying son, who debuted for the Storm in 2023, play a professional game.
“My old man, he is coming straight from Samoa, so I think he's going to come to my game for the first time. I'm very excited, I can’t wait,” Fa'alogo said.
“It means a lot because he has done so much for me, and everything he's done for me to bring me over (to Australia) and try to give me the opportunity of a better life, I'm very grateful for him and my mum.”
Born in the island nation, Fa'alogo is one of the few homegrown players in the Samoan squad, who face Tonga at a sold-out CommBank Stadium on Sunday.
Fa'alogo - the youngest of nine children - relocated to Melbourne as a child before his parents moved back to Samoa.
The fullback, who is the leading try-scorer at the World Cup with six in Samoa’s opening two games against France and Papua New Guinea, has never played against Tonga but was part of the parades celebrating his team’s run to the final of the 2022 tournament.
His form at the World Cup would be encouraging for the Storm, who are facing uncertainty about the long-term commitment of Australian five-eighth Cameron Munster and hooker Harry Grant.
“Hopefully the boys get to stay, I learn so much from those guys,” Fa’alogo said.
“It would mean a lot if they stayed, all I’ve had to do is listen to them.
“To be honest, it was a pretty tough position to fill when Paps (Ryan Papenhuyzen) left, they were pretty big shoes to fill and without those guys giving the confidence to go out there every week to perform, I wouldn’t be the player that I am.”
