When Kelma Tuilagi first left his remote farm in Samoa, rugby league – and the English language โ were foreign to him.
Tualagiโs parents swapped a tiny plantation of bananas, taro and a few cows for life in New Zealand, in the belief the move would provide young Kelma and his sisters greater opportunities. It was a lot to adjust to.
โDefinitely, when I moved over I had no English,โ Tualagi recalled.
โI didnโt go to school in New Zealand for a year and a bit. I had to get all my papers to be a citizen so I could go to school, and when I had a chance to go to school [in year five] I picked up the language.
โThe unique way I picked up English, I struggled with it in classes, but picked it up from the people I hung around with, from my friends โฆ I was fully struggling. Iโm still learning on the way.โ
Rugby union was the dominant sport in Samoa and New Zealand at the time, and thatโs all Tualagi knew. But he gave rugby league a crack and, after just half a season, was playing at a standard that piqued the interest of the Melbourne Storm.
After six years in New Zealand, it meant another move for the Tualagi family, who followed the budding footballer to Victoria. It is there the back-rower met Parramatta coach Jason Ryles, then an assistant to Craig Bellamy, on a journey that has subsequently led to NRL stints at Wests Tigers, Manly and now the Eels.
โHe knew me back then, but Iโve developed over time,โ Tualagi said. โHe will remember me as one of the young ones at the Storm. Seeing me now, itโs a different look. But having that connection when I was young definitely helps.โ
Tualagi has literally and figuratively come a long way since leaving that remote Samoan village. The 27-year-old has represented Samoa at Test level, made 74 NRL appearances and is in rare form after his barnstorming two-try haul against the vaunted Broncos pack last week.
Itโs a journey he reflects on ahead of Sundayโs multicultural round clash with St George Illawarra at CommBank Stadium.
โWe pretty much live off the land and thatโs all we needed. It was a simple life,โ Tuilagi said of life in Samoa
โWhen we moved over, my parents wanted us to have a better life and explore whatโs out there. Itโs pretty hectic to see how itโs different from living on the island. To come over and have an opportunity in the big world, it made me look at the big picture and whatโs ahead for me.
โNow Iโm married, if I have kids Iโll tell them where Iโm from and embrace my culture.โ
Ryles wants his pack to play an up-tempo brand of football, which requires its members to have the fitness required to execute the game plan. In Tuilagiโs case, that meant dropping six kilograms, down to 106 kilograms, during the off-season.
โThat definitely helped me run around with the new rules that are going on,โ Tuilagi said.
โThatโs the style Ryles wants, to be mobile and fast in the middle. Having that helped us out.โ
Tuilagi sports an unmistakable headgear on the field, but it was missing for his heroics against the premiers after it broke early. It revealed a flowing mane as the journeyman forward, a qualified barber, ran riot.
โA lot of people have been saying to get rid of the headgear, but … I love wearing it,โ he said.
