This time Kuli is playing for both sides of his family

Rookie Maroons forward Kulikefu Finefeuiaki will finally be able to represent both sides of his family when he makes his State of Origin debut at the MCG.

Finefeuiaki, who will play for Tonga at Rugby League World Cup 2026, has been the subject of a tug-of-war for his international allegiances between Tonga and Samoa – and that’s just within his family.

The 22-year-old has chosen to represent Tonga, where his father was born, but he is also eligible for Samoa through his mother, as well as New Zealand and Australia.

“I was born and raised in New Zealand, and I moved to Australia when I was 12, but I have a Tonga-Samoa background,” Finefeuiaki said.

“Dad’s full Tongan, he moved over to New Zealand when he was 18. Mum was born in Samoa, she moved to New Zealand when she was 22 or 23.

“They made a decision to move over to Australia for a better opportunity and a better life. Footy was the way, so me playing footy is to give back to my parents.”

Finefeuiaki’s family moved to Ipswich, and he played for the Redbank Plains Bears before finding his way to the North Queensland Cowboys, where he made his NRL debut in 2023.

Among the secondrower’s team-mates was Tongan pioneer Jason Taumalolo, who inspired him to play for his father’s homeland after seeing how moved he was by the frontrower’s decision to choose the Pacific nation over New Zealand at the 2017 World Cup.

Yet despite Finefeuiaki being in the Tonga squad for last year’s Pacific Championships his mother couldn’t hide her passion for Samoa when the Pacific powerhouses met before a record 44,682 crowd at Suncorp Stadium.

“My mum was cheering pretty hard when Samoa got up over Tonga,” he said. “My dad was a bit filthy but he was proud that I was in the Tongan squad and representing not only him but our last name, as well, and our family back in Tonga and all over the world.

“Mum was happy too, but she was giving it to my dad a bit. I didn’t play in that game, but I reckon my parents will always support whatever team I play for.”

Finefeuiaki made his Test debut a week later against the Kiwis of in front of another big crowd as the Sea of Red swelled the Eden Park attendance to 38,114 – the biggest Test crowd in New Zealand for more than a decade.

“To play my first Test was pretty special, and especially seeing how emotional my dad was when he gave me my jersey … I was about to burst into tears,” Finefeuiaki said.

“Running out with the Tongan boys, especially one of the boys that started the whole movement – Jason Taumalolo – was pretty special, and to play alongside my Dolphins team-mates, Izzy (Isaiya Katoa) and Fus (Felise Kaufusi), it really meant a lot. I just can’t put it into words to be honest.

“It's probably the highest achievement on my career so far, because I wasn't just representing myself, I was representing my family and especially my last name.”