Fonua Pole will run out for his 15th NRL game on Saturday night, aiming to chalk up a second win over Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
The 20-year-old lock made his NRL debut last season against the Warriors in Auckland, after a rapid progression through Wests Tigers pathways.
A New Zealand-born Tongan who was raised in Melbourne and turned his back on Aussie Rules, Pole travelled a different and at times more difficult path than most to get to where he is today.
The journey has taken him from county to country, state to state, and garage to garage, but he’s now happily settled at Wests Tigers.
His return to Melbourne last weekend showed just how popular he is, with more than 40 family and friends in the stands at AAMI Park cheering him on.
Fonua Pole is one of many players who is ‘On the Rise’ at Wests Tigers.
