The Sea of Red nearly willed Tonga to another upset against Australia, but rather than be proud of the never-say-die effort, Isaiya Katoa was disappointed his side was unable secure the Pacific Cup title.
After going toe-to-toe with world champions Australia twice during the Pacific Championships, including their close 20-14 loss in the final and defeating last year’s tournament winner New Zealand in the pool games, Tonga have shown they are no longer content to simply be challengers, they see themselves as genuine contenders to claim rugby league silverware.
In their halfback Katoa, they have a future leader, a player with an abundance of talent, but also with a mindset intent on not only making improvements, but on winning.
“Very disappointed with the result, but as a whole for Tonga and Tongan Rugby League going forward, I think we're definitely heading in the right direction,” Katoa said following the final.
“We obviously missed a couple of opportunities … but nonetheless, I think we can hold our heads up high knowing that the effort we're putting in is there and at this stage, it's just a little bit of execution and taking up opportunities when they come.
“I'm the first person to put my hand up when I'm making errors or when I'm putting the team under pressure; I'm the first person to take responsibility for that.
“When you're part of a team, especially a team like this; we're so close, our brotherhood is there, it's more about not wanting to let your teammates down.
“That's kind of what I felt like after coming up with a with a couple of those errors and I'll make sure that for the next Test matches I don't make those mistakes again.
“I had a couple of plays out there that I wish I could have back, but for me going forward, I know that's going to be the best way that I learn and the best way that I improve is making sure I don't feel that again.”
The Sipi Tau has CommBank Stadium going off
Katoa has spoken about how the 2017 trailblazers, including his current captain Jason Taumalolo, turning down the opportunity to play for New Zealand and Australia inspired him to want to pull on a red jersey, and he is determined to continue their legacy.
“Once I saw those guys made the switch, I completely made my mind up and all I ever wanted to do was play for Tonga,” Katoa said.
“Hopefully we can continue to build on that and leave that legacy that we want young kids that are Tongan and Samoan and Fijian and Cook Islands to want to go back and play for their countries and not be afraid to take the chance.
“It only helps international rugby league, and it's just awesome that we get an opportunity like this to come and play Tier One Nations.
“I think the luxury that we have with our team is a lot of us are all pretty young and there's a big bunch of boys that are around that age group of 19-23, so for us, it's just about making sure we take the learnings out of the last three games.
“I have no doubt that as a team we'll do that and as individuals, we all want to get better and want to learn and make sure we don't miss those opportunities when we have them out there.
“We have a good batch of young talent that are slowly starting to come through, slowly getting a lot of NRL experience, myself included, and the more we play, the more we're going to get better.
“The more we have games with Tonga together, the more we're going to improve and gel as a team.”
Coach Kristian Woolf – whose association with the national side began in 2013 as an assistant – agrees and had has ridden the rising tide to help lead the small nation to the precipice of claiming a historic title.
While Woolf hasn’t confirmed his future involvement with the team as he takes over the head coaching reins at the Dolphins where he will continue to develop the playmaking skills of Katoa, he was confident the side on the whole would no doubt challenge and beat the top teams.
“What 2017 taught us was that we could beat the number one teams,” Woolf said.
“We did that against New Zealand and since then we've carried a lot of belief that we can continue to do that …
“We're only going to get better.
“Every team will look at a couple of players that would have loved to have been involved that weren't involved and we're no different, but I thought a number of young guys really put their hands up … they're all only going to get better and they're going to get better together, so the future's bright.”
While Woolf himself may not be at the helm, the work he has done off the field as well alongside team manager Scott Clark and NRL Tonga game development manager Tavake Fangupo will help ensure a strong future for Tonga in rugby league, no matter the coach or the players.
Behind the scenes developments including a new governing body and board of directors will see a focus turn to the development of local clubs in Tonga.
Eliesa Katoa Try
For players like Eliesa Katoa – born in Hihifo, Tonga – inspiring the next generation of home-grown talent to play for the nation was a huge motivation.
“We do it for our fans, when you run out, we want a good a good performance, and everyone wants to win,” Katoa said.
“I feel like every time I put on the Tongan jersey, it's special to me.
“I was born and raised in Tonga and all I wanted to do is put on the red and white jersey.
“Every opportunity that I get to put the jersey on, its special to me and my family.
“We're building something special going forward.
“It's very important for little kids growing up in Tonga; myself, I grew up in Tonga, and all I wanted to do is play for Tonga.
“The senior boys like Jason and Andrew Fifita, what they did in 2017 and what we're doing now is inspiring those kids who grew up and wanted to come and play for Tonga or play for Samoa all the Pacific Islands.
“A lot of us are still young, that's the good thing. No one wants to leave us … we're going to come back, come back strong and we're still learning and hopefully we can build on this year’s performances.”
