As Tonga's World Cup campaign prepares to hit fever pitch, Tui Lolohea cannot stop smiling even when the young bulls give him stick.
asserted
bulls → prepare → stick
After a training session in the lead-up to Friday's match against Lebanon it is rising prop Demetric Vaimauga, who is the kind of guy you hear before you see, that gees Lolohea up.
asserted
that → rise → Lolohea
"Awwww yeah, it's Mr I Ain't Done Yet!" Vaimauga crows as he grabs Lolohea by the shoulders.
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he → do → shoulders
That's what they called Lolohea in an Instagram post after he came off the bench for an injured Latu Fainu to set up a try in Tonga's 30-12 win over England last week and he's been copping it ever since.
asserted
he → call → it
It was a cameo Lolohea, at 31 and with Tonga enjoying more depth and talent in the halves than ever before, thought would never come.
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Tonga → enjoy → halves
But once it did it added to an already sterling legacy in the red jersey, tacking an extra chapter on a story that, against all odds, is still being written.
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that → do → odds
Lolohea has already played for Tonga more times than any other player in history and against the Cedars he'll extend his own record with his 23rd cap.
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he → play → cap
Along with Jason Taumalolo, Lolohea is the only player to have appeared in each of Tonga's five wins over Tier 1 nations, making them the only two constant faces in every image of Tonga's greatest days.
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them → appear → days
Lolohea has been wearing these colours when those days were still just a dream.
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days → wear → colours
When he debuted for Tonga back in 2015, Fainu, the man he replaced last week and will partner in the halves on Friday, was only nine years old.
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he → debut → Friday
Vaimauga himself had just turned 11 and as the giant youngster runs away cackling, Lolohea fires back in Tongan through a grin and shakes his head.
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Lolohea → turn → head
"I knew I'd get stick for this.
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I → know → this
Mr I Ain't Done Yet — they're always taking the piss out of me," Lolohea said.
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Lolohea → do → me
"I hope he gets banged next time he goes off the back fence, so I can go laugh at him.
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I → hope → him
They joke around, but I am one of the oldest in the team and it's good to show you can run around with the young bucks.
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you → joke → bucks
Lolohea and Taumalolo are the elders this time around as the two longest-serving players in the team by a mile and while Taumalolo dragged Tonga into a new world, Lolohea is very much a product of the old.
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Lolohea → serve → old
Watching his debut from 11 years ago against Samoa on the Gold Coast is a measure of how far things have come.
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things → watch → Coast
When the two meet again next week it will be in front of a sold-out crowd at Parramatta Stadium, which they probably could have filled twice over, and both sides will boast some of the best players in the world.
uncertain
sides → meet → world
Back on Lolohea's first day, a little over 12,000 came through the gates and both nations had to choose between grey beards, who wanted to give back to their community, journeymen who knew this would be as good as it got, or youngsters before their big futures came for them.
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futures → come → them
Lolohea was one of the latter and at the time he was counted as one of rugby league's brightest prospects, with feet so fast tackling him was like trying to grab a handful of smoke.
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feet → count → smoke
So much has transformed since those times but according to Lolohea, the most important things have stayed the same.
uncertain
things → transform → Lolohea
"Why you're doing it, what you're representing, that never changes," Lolohea said.
"
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Lolohea → do → what
We're a little dot on the map and there's always talk about financial stuff but the pride of our island nation, the proud culture we put out to the people, we've built that over the years and the support from the people is massive.
"
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support → be → people
That's what we want to represent, our people and our family names, where we come from.
"
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we → want → where
I remember the passion, for Tonga and Samoa, and we're on the big stage now but the passion is still there even though it was a long time ago."
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it → remember → stage
But only Lolohea is still playing, making him the last son of the olden days before the heroes came back home.
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heroes → play → days
He remembers frantically messaging Taumalolo in 2017, asking if he really was going to come back to Tonga and marvelling at what followed.
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what → remember → Tonga
He cannot forget his intercept try in the win over New Zealand, head cocked back and laughing as he went over, or his late score in the semi-final against England that gave Tonga hope of a miracle, or of the trip back to the islands that followed, where the team was given medals of honour at the royal palace.
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team → forget → palace
Amid a good NRL career for the Warriors and Wests Tigers before a lengthy stint in Super League, where he's spent the last eight seasons, including the last five with Huddersfield, Lolohea might never have fulfilled the club expectations he carried into his Tongan debut.
uncertain
he → spend → debut
Instead, his finest hours have come for Tonga itself, for whom he is both pioneer and icon.
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he → come → whom
They've never won a big game without him and his reward has been honours that are usually bestowed on heroes of ancient wars.
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that → win → wars
His people have named trophies after him and he has been granted lands outside the family village of Lapaha by King Tupou VI.
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he → name → VI
The team's official nickname is Mate Ma' Tonga, which translates to "die for Tonga" but the memories Lolohea has helped create for his nation are immortal, like the win over Great Britain in 2019 or the breakthrough victory over Australia the following week.
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Lolohea → translate → Australia
On the back of those glories a whole new generation of stars chose Tonga and players like Isaiya Katoa, Robert Toia, Leka Halasima and Tolu Koula have not just become part of the cause, they have taken it further.
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they → choose → it
They beat New Zealand again in the Pacific Championships two years ago and pushed Australia to the limit in the final.
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They → beat → final
Lolohea, of course, played in both and set up a try in the latter.
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Lolohea → play → latter
Tonga are not here to compete anymore, they are here to win — against Australia, New Zealand, England, Samoa or anybody else who wants some.
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who → compete → some
Taking the World Cup itself back to Nuku'alofa is not an idle fantasy.
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Taking → take → Nuku'alofa
It's a dream Tonga can hammer into reality as part of a new world order Lolohea and his generation helped create and somehow, he is still part of it.
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he → hammer → it
Apart from Taumalolo, his only fellow survivor from 2017, the other legends from the old days are done.
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legends → do → days
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
