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Opinion
The new-look Kangaroos were short on international experience but they stepped up to repel a powerful challenge from Tonga at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
Australia’s future is bright in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup but Tonga proved they could very well make the final in a couple of years just like Samoa did the last time around in the UK.
And they could win it all. They’re getting that good.
But this time around it was the Kangaroos who triumphed, 18-0, exacting revenge for their 16-12 loss in Auckland when these sides last met five years ago.
Somehow the bookmakers had installed the Tongans as $5 long shots for this match even though there was not a major difference in talent levels in either line-up due to a host of star Kangaroos being out injured.
And after a gripping first half separated by a lone intercept try, the Aussies managed to hold off their Pacific rivals in a Test that could have gone either way up until the final minutes.
Australia can qualify for the Pacific Championships with a win over New Zealand in Christchurch next Sunday in their mission to regain the trophy from the Kiwis in the final next month in Sydney after last year’s 30-0 boilover in the decider.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga described his team’s edge defence as “pretty special” but conceded their attack was clunky given that it was their first match together and many of their players had not suited up for several weeks.
Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses had not played for more than three months due to a ruptured biceps muscle while most of the team had not made it to the second half of the finals series.
“Attitude, intent, defensively outstanding, I felt, against that big Tongan side who came ready to play,” he said of his team.
” I’m not quite sure how many tries they stopped, but they were desperate. We can play a bit better with the footy, but we’ve got a few deputants there, particularly in the spine, so I’m really happy with the performance.
“Really encouraging as far as improving over the next game or two games.
“A lot of the players, except for the grand final team, haven’t played for at least three weeks. I’m really happy, considering the short preparation period too. We had two real serious sessions and the captain’s run. So, I’m really pleased with our defensive effort in holding them to zero. That’s what we get out of it.”
He indicated that it would be difficult to leave out too many players as he rotates his squad for game two of the tournament.
“We’ll see how everyone pulls up out of this game. I know that the guys who missed out have been training really well and been terrific around the camp. We’ll make those tough decisions at a later date.”
After the Tongans upset Australia in Auckland in 2019, the call went out for more Test footy against the emerging Pacific nation.
No one could have foreseen that it would be five years before Mate Ma’a would get to match up against the Kangaroos on Australian soil, a delay mainly due to a global pandemic.
Now it needs to happen much more regularly.
Tonga are box office. They brought the proverbial “sea of red” to the Suncorp Stadium stands on Friday night and anticipation of a gripping contest for players and fans alike.
With young halfback Isaiya Katoa developing into one of the NRL’s best playmakers, Tonga now have the finesse to complement their undoubted power up front.
“We’ve seen the emergence of a special talent,” said Immortal halfback Andrew Johns on Nine commentary as Katoa kept catching the Kangaroos on the hop.
The 20-year-old Dolphins playmaker is still far from the finished product, twice kicking out on the full from restarts, but he also sparked several attacking raids which were only extinguished by some top-quality scramble from the locals.
And young fullback Lehi Hopoate announced himself on the international stage with a superb showing in the Tongan No.1 jersey, saving tries and putting the Australian defence on the back foot on several occasions in a brilliant debut from the Manly 19-year-old.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scores a try. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
This match was typical of a Test when it’s the first fixture for each team of a tournament.
Both sides looked disjointed and struggled with their handling. But they were both intense and full of intent.
The Aussies tumbled the pill seven times in the first half as Tonga dominated possession 54-46% but the home side managed to post the only points.
Tom Trbojevic latched onto an intercept from Tui Lolohea to run 65 consecutive metres at full speed without his hamstring pinging.
That sound you heard from the direction of Sydney’s northern insular peninsula was a collective exhale from Manly’s long-suffering fans.
There was a sound of a different kind emanating from Suncorp Stadium midway through the first half when Haumole Olakau’atu crunched Lindsay Collins’ ribs with a thunderous hit of Pacific power.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow nearly doubled their 6-0 advantage just before the break but the Kangaroos centre was held up over the line by four defenders to the amazement of the crowd of 33,196.
Trbojevic also looked set to add a second four-pointer early in the second stanza but the debutant who is in line to succeed him as Manly fullback, Hopoate, denied him with a last-ditch tackle.
The Hammer finally hit the nail on the head when the Dolphins speedster palmed off Penrith rival Paul Alamoti to make it 12-0 in the 54th minute as he scorched over to score in the left corner after Trbojevic circled around to feed his centre partner.
Aussie forward Cameron Murray went close to scoring just before the hour mark but was brought down by another Hopoate try-saver. However, he committed a professional foul by not standing square at marker as he looked to shut down the next play and was sin-binned.
In a sign of their respect for the Tonga defence, the hosts booted a penalty goal to go up 14-0 and missed a golden chance to go further ahead when Trbojevic fumbled a put-down in the corner amid more desperation defence.
Tonga looked to have cut the deficit when Keaon Koloamatangi touched down but he also had a case of the dropsies as he tried to plant the Steeden from a grubber with no one nearby.
Tom Dearden celebrated a fine debut when he scooted around the tiring Tongan defence in the dying stages to blow the final margin out to 18 which was not a true reflection of the closeness of this clash.
Todd Payten should let Jason Taumalolo wear his red Tongan jersey under his North Queensland uniform next year.
The veteran Cowboy looked like the unstoppable version of the previous decade when he was the undisputed best forward in the game on the way to collecting a Dally M Medal.
He punched holes in the defence with a barnstorming first stint and it was no coincidence that Australia eventually were able to get the upper hand when Taumalolo was benched during the middle stages of the contest.
With Olakau’atu, Addin Fonua-Blake, Koloamatangi and Olakau’atu riding sidesaddle with Taumalolo, the Tongan pack is as formidable as any that a rugby league side can offer in 2024 and left plenty of impressions on the Australians in the form of painful bruises from their attack and defence.
Meninga is ushering in a new generation to the Test arena and his six rookies showed they were ready for the step up.
Dearden was typically busy at five-eighth to complement chief playmaker Mitchell Moses, who to be fair is a Kangaroos debutant but does have eight Tests on his resume for Lebanon.
Zac Lomax continued his breakout 2024 on the wing while Xavier Coated had his moments on the other flank.
Mitchell Barnett was one of Australia’s best metre-eaters off the bench while the last of the newbies, Raiders second-rower Hudson Young, only got a late burst but as always did not take a backward step.
It wasn’t just the debutants who put the green into the green and gold side with no Kangaroo having more than eight Tests under their belt.
But with Isaah Yeo leading by example and young veterans in Trbojevic, Murray and Harry Grant also providing steady hands, the Australians were never comfortable during the contest but thoroughly deserved to win.
“Our best football is still in front of us, which is exciting,” Yeo said.