Tonga players sing their national anthems prior to the rugby league international Test match between Australia and Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on October 20, 2018. (Photo by Fiona Goodall / AFP) (Photo credit should read FIONA GOODALL/AFP/Getty Images)
Tonga’s squad of stars will be out to repeat their semi-final performance from five years ago, but face an expanding field of teams who are constantly improving in the 2022 Rugby League World Cup.
Kristian Woolf – who remains as coach of the Island nation once again – has a strong talent pool to draw on as they look to make it back into the end of the knockout stage, but the same problems for Tonga will continue to persist.
While they have some of the best forwards on the planet, backed up by a strong backline, the spine will continue to be the key difficulty to overcome if they wish to proceed through the tournament.
21 of the 24 players in Tonga’s squad are NRL-contracted, while the remaining three play for either St Helens or Huddersfield in the English Super League, meaning their entire squad play at the highest level.
They will be hampered during the group stage by a suspension to Jason Taumalolo though, with the skipper to miss both of the first two games against Papua New Guinea and Wales.
Despite that, Mate Ma’a Tonga are expected to breeze through the first part of the tournament and into the quarter-finals, where they could well meet the loser of the opening Group A game between England and Samoa for a spot in the final four.
Here is the 17 who will attempt to go one step better in 2022 for the Tongans.
Full squad
Talatau Amone (St George Illawarra Dragons), David Fifita (Gold Coast Titans), Addin Fonua-Blake (New Zealand Warriors), Moeaki Fotuaika (Gold Coast Titans), Siliva Havili (South Sydney Rabbitohs), William Hopoate (St Helens), Konrad Hurrell (St Helens), Isaiya Katoa (Penrith Panthers), Sione Katoa (Cronulla Sharks), Felise Kaufusi (Melbourne Storm), Keaon Koloamatangi (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Tolutau Koula (Manly Sea Eagles), Tuimoala Lolohea (Huddersfield Giants), Soni Luke (Penrith Panthers), Ben Murdoch-Masila (New Zealand Warriors), Tesi Niu (Brisbane Broncos), Haumole Olakau’atu (Manly Sea Eagles), Will Penisini (Parramatta Eels), Moses Suli (St George Illawarra Dragons), Siosifa Talakai (Cronulla Sharks), Tevita Tatola (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Siosiua Taukeiaho (Sydney Roosters), Jason Taumalolo (North Queensland Cowboys), Daniel Tupou (Sydney Roosters)
Spine
As always, the biggest question lingering over the Tongan side is their spine, but there is enough talent there for things to work on the back of a forward pack which will monster just about every other team they encounter.
The lack of depth is certainly in plain sight with only two options to play at the back, being Tesi Niu and Will Hopoate, who will also provide coverage to every other position in the backline. Niu can also play in the centres, but given the talent Tonga have across the rest of their backline, neither Hopoate or Niu are getting a jersey away from fullback.
Expect both players to spend time here during the group stage, but we will take Niu for the fullback role.
The halves combination should see Talatau Amone – who played a lone hand in the mid-year Test alongside Kotoni Staggs – be named in the six, with Super League veteran Tuimoala Lolohead, who now plays for the Huddersfield Giants, to wear the number seven.
The back up in the halves is skinny and would require rookie Isaiya Katoa to come into the side, although don’t be surprised to see him game time against either the Cook Islands or Wales.
At hooker, Siliva Havili will likely start for the experience and hard-nosed edge he brings to defence, while Soni Luke is also in the squad.
Backs
The backline is where things start to get a lot stronger for Tonga, and where serious questions will need to be asked by Kristian Woolf and his support staff around what the actual best 17 is.
Daniel Tupou, who is one of the NRL’s best wingers and had a phenomenal season for the Sydney Roosters, while also regaining his NSW Blues Origin jumper, will take one of the wing spots without a shadow of a double.
The other spot will likely go to Sione Katoa of the Cronulla Sharks, with the exciting speedster having a way of finding the try line.
Again, Will Hopoate is one of the back up options, while Tolutau Koula out of the Sea Eagles could also be named on the wing.
The centre combination is flat out scary. Moses Suli and Siosifa Talakai – two absolute wrecking balls – will line up for Tonga in what is a match made in tackle breaking heaven.
Koula and Hopoate will be joined by Will Penisini and Konrad Hurrell as the back up options to play in the centres, with Tonga possessing an extremely powerful backline.
Forwards
If you thought the backline was strong, then you simply haven’t seen anything yet.
The forward pack is out of this world.
Jason Taumalolo is suspended for the opening games of the tournament, but for the purposes of the Best 17, the skipper will be named in the 13 jumper. Addin Fonua-Blake, Siosiua Taukeiaho, Moeaki Fotuaika, Tevita Tatola and Ben Murdoch-Masila are the other options to play in the middle third.
Expect Fonua-Blake and Taukeiaho to lock down the starting jumpers, although Taukeiaho may play lock for the first two games in the absence of Taumalolo.
In the second row, a ridiculously powerful combination of Haumole Olakau’atu and Keaon Koloamatangi will be named, while David Fifita and Felise Kaufusi can’t even find their way into the starting 13.
Tonga also have the option of naming Talakai on the edge, which would then enable one of the star backs who missed out to slot into the side, although would likely mean one of the star forwards misses out.
A good headache to have of course for coach Woolf.
Bench
On the back of the unbelievable starting side, Tonga have the ability to name a bench which will make any rival team sit up and take notice.
Fotuaika, Tatola and Fifita should all be selected on the pine when Tonga are at full strength, meaning there will be no room for either Murdoch-Masila or Queensland Origin representative Felise Kaufusi, who turned his back on Australia to be involved in Tonga’s 24-man squad.
Woolf may yet go with Kaufusi for his experience ahead of Fifita, but it’ll be again a question up in the air.
The final spot on the bench is likely to be taken by Soni Luke, who will spend time at hooker while Havili moves into a more roaming lock role. Luke’s minutes will be limited, meaning he can play the type of explosive role which has worked nicely for him at Penrith.
Best 17
1. Tesi Niu
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Moses Suli
4. Siosifa Talakai
5. Sione Katoa
6. Talatau Amone
7. Tuimoala Lolohea
8. Addin Fonua-Blake
9. Siliva Havili
10. Siosiua Taukeiaho
11. Haumole Olakau’atu
12. Keaon Koloamatangi
13. Jason Taumalolo (c)
14. Soni Luke
15. Moeaki Fotuaika
16. Tevita Tatola
17. David Fifita
Key information
Group: D
Coach: Kristian Woolf
Captain: Siosiua Taukeiaho
Number of World Cups: 5
Best World Cup performance: Semi-finals (2017)
Fixtures
Wednesday, October 19, 5:30am: vs Papua New Guinea
Tuesday, October 25, 5:30am: vs Wales
Monday, October 31, 1:30am: vs Cook Islands
Source:: ZeroTackle
