International changes to enable Tupou to commit to Blues

Blues winger Daniel Tupou is relieved that he won’t have to again choose between State of Origin and representing Mate Ma’a Tonga if international fixtures are moved to the end of the season.

Tupou was placed in the difficult position of having to consider whether to give up his NSW jersey in Origin II to play for the nation he has been committed to since 2013 in the mid-season Test against New Zealand at Mt Smart Stadium.

The Sydney Roosters star has already declared his intention to play for Tonga at the end-of-season World Cup but he also considers himself a proud New South Welshman after growing up in Auburn and playing his junior rugby league for the Berala Bears.

Both of Tupou’s parents were born in Tonga and he played 12 Tests for the island nation, which has risen to No.2 in the IRL World Rankings after stunning New Zealand at the 2017 World Cup and beating Great Britain and Australia in 2019.

With the 16-12 defeat of the Kangaroos being Tonga’s last Test until June’s clash with the Kiwis due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Tupou was reluctant to miss the opportunity to play in front of the sea of red but he also wanted to help the Blues win in Perth after losing the Origin series opener.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but we came to an understanding with [Tonga coach] Kristian Woolf,” Tupou said.

“Kristian spoke to Freddy so it worked out that there was another opportunity for me to play State of Origin and I can still play for Tonga at the World Cup.

“If they scrap the mid-season Test, and there is no international footy until the end of the year, it will be an easy choice about where to play, if I get selected [for Origin].”

Tupou will make his 10th Origin appearance for NSW in next Wednesday night’s decider at Suncorp Stadium after initially being recalled to the Blues squad by Brad Fittler in 2020, when the series was played at the end of the season and there were no international fixtures due to COVID.

The 31-year-old had first played for the Blues in 2014 under Laurie Daley and was a member of the NSW team which ended Queensland’s eight-year domination of Origin.

He is now hoping to again be a part of history next week as NSW aim to become the only team besides the 1994 Blues to win two Origins away from home after losing the series opener at home.

Fittler, assistant coach Paul McGregor and Paul Sironen, who is also a member of the NSW staff, played in the 1994 series and Ben Elias joined them in the Blues camp at Kingscliff on Monday night to speak to the players about the historic achievement.

The only other NSW team to win a series decider at Suncorp Stadium was the 2005 Blues.

2005 captain Danny Buderus - another member of Fittler’s coaching staff – also addressed the players, along with former team-mates Mark Gasnier, Nathan Hindmarsh and Craig Wing.

“It was good speaking to Craig Wing and Hindy, and Ben Elias. We were grateful to have them in camp and to learn off what they did,” Tupou said.

“They just told us to enjoy the moment, and we have a great opportunity to win it up there as they did previously. The boys are pretty pumped, and for us it is a great opportunity to go out there and win the series at Suncorp.

“It was obviously disappointing to lose in Game I. That really hurt us, but we took our lessons out of that and turned it around in Game II. It is all about being the best that we can and improving on how we played in Game II.”

Tupou previously played in a decider at Suncorp Stadium in 2020 after the Blues lost the series opener at Adelaide Oval and rebounded to win in Sydney but fell short in their shot at history.

“Obviously in 2020 the game didn’t go our way and that was a tough pill to swallow,” he said. “Hopefully this time around we can get the win up there. It hasn’t been done for a long tome so it would be good to do that.”