Talatau ‘Junior’ Amone thought he would never play international football again after being deregistered by the NRL over a hammer attack on a roofing contractor almost four years ago.
But the 24-year-old is set to take a huge step towards his goal on Tuesday, when he is named in the Tonga squad to play Lebanon on Friday night.
Tonga received a boost when Latu Fainu was cleared of a ruptured pec, bringing the Wests Tigers playmaker back into contention for the CommBank Stadium clash.
But coach Kristian Woolf confirmed Amone was in the mix – and said that if he did take the field, it would be just reward for a young player who has done his best to revive his career and life.
Amone was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company, destroying property and intimidation following an incident in Wollongong at the end of 2022. Despite pleading not guilty, Amone was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to a two-year community corrections order and 300 hours of community service.
His father, also Talatau, who was involved in the same incident, was jailed for two years and six months, with a non-parole period of 12 months.
Amone was deregistered by the NRL and had his $500,000-a-year deal with St George Illawarra spiked. The NRL has so far refused to consider registering a new contract for Amone to return to the top flight.
But Tonga were given the green light by World Cup organisers to select Amone after the five-eighth impressed coaching staff in the Queensland Cup this season with Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
“It will be outstanding for him to play again,” Woolf said. “It will be a great step in the right direction – there’s been a fair pause on his career the last few years.
“He came into camp with us in 2022 as a young man. He’s come back into camp this time and I can tell there’s a different focus, there’s a real maturity about him, and it’s been a pleasure to have him in camp.
“There’s always that uncertainty when it comes to decisions being made by other people [in terms of his Cup inclusion], but we felt there was a lot of positivity around it, and why he should be allowed play in the Cup. That’s why we pursued it.”
International Rugby League chairman Troy Grant said there had been no reason not to approve Amone’s Cup application.
“He was only subject to an NRL competition stand-down,” Grant said. “He’s done a heap of work in the community. He’s been playing Queensland Cup, and there were no grounds for his exclusion. It’s a good redemption story.”
Whether Amone starts or comes off the bench will come down to what Woolf does with his halves. No.7 Isaiya Katoa has had a busy workload but is keen to play, while Tui Lolohea came off the bench after Fainu injured his pec after 15 minutes during the 30-12 win over England in Perth.
Pec surgery would have impacted Fainu’s pre-season with Wests Tigers, but Woolf said Latu had likely aggravated a previous injury.
“All indications are Latu’s injury is not too bad at all, and it was more a case of him re-aggravating an old injury,” Woolf said. “At this stage he’ll be available for selection this week.
“He’s a very talented player, and I thought the first 10 minutes he showed his class and the value he will have. Tui came on and did a great job, but I thought in the short period Latu was out there, he showed his class.
“He did likewise in that last game [of the NRL season] for the Wests Tigers against Penrith. I’d just like to see him get a fair crack at it without any more interruptions.”
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