Pua’s on a mission in move to Pride
BARLOW Park is a long way from the suburban western Sydney grounds where Paea Pua has spent his entire rugby league life so far, but the home of the Northern Pride could be the place he earns another opportunity to strive at the highest level of the game.
Pua was a surprise inclusion for the Pride’s 26-16 win against a star-studded Souths Logan Magpies, the Cairns club’s third win of the season.
He arrived in Cairns early last week, stepping off the plane and heading straight into a tough training session in his new humid home before Pride coach Ty Williams gave him the nod for what was his first Intrust Super Cup appearance.
“It’s been pretty hectic,” Pua said, not just of his first week but of the five-month mission to move to the Pride.
Pua spent four years at the Penrith Panthers, where he played alongside fellow Pride prop Nick Lui-Toso, from 2016 to 2019, and moved to Mounties at the start of last year.
He’s accumulated 63 NSW Cup appearances over the years, the bulk of which came at Penrith, but has been looking for a fresh opportunity since the off-season.
It was in December, when Lui-Toso ventured back to Sydney for Christmas, that he first expressed interest in a move to FNQ.
“I wasn’t thinking about it at the time, but just said it’d be cool,” Pua said. “I had a few texts back and forth with Ty, but we didn’t get too far then.”
The seed was planted and the Pride were interested, but when they sought the 192cm, 114kg wrecking ball’s services at the start of the season, Mounties refused the release.
“I ended up staying for a bit and playing NSW Cup because they wouldn’t release anyone,” Pua said. “They had a bunch of injuries so just couldn’t let anyone go.”
Then, little more than 10 days ago, things changed.
Pua, who played his junior footy in Mounties’ catchment area, was given the green light to leave western Sydney, and within a few days he informed his employer, packed his belongings and booked a oneway ticket to Cairns.
It’s a totally new experience for Pua, who has spent his life in Sydney and never once moved for a football opportunity, but it is a move the 25year-old has made with an idea to see where footy takes him.
And he’s started on the right foot, making a big impact as he came off the bench for his first game in Far North Queensland.
Pua scored a try, earned a linebreak, made 16 tackles and ran for 75m from six carries – all in just 28 minutes. But more importantly, he rediscovered his love for the game.
“I haven’t felt that way about footy in a long time,” Pua said. “Everyone wants to win, and see everyone else go well. I was walking up and down the sideline; I just couldn’t sit still.
“They had a good side … but we were relentless. The boys wouldn’t give up.”
Pua will be among the squad named by Williams for Saturday’s clash with secondplaced Tweed Seagulls at Piggabeen Sports Complex, and the coach was happy with what he saw in his first limited run.
“I thought he was good,” Williams said. “The poor bugger was fairly tired after the warm-up actually, so a bit of a break and starting on the bench was good for him.
“He’s got a lot of improvement in him. He was in the Penrith system with Nicko and the Bulldogs, so a handy addition to have at this time of the year.
“(Depth), and a different style of player as well. Losing Wiremu (Greig) to Parramatta, one of our allocations, we needed to fill that gap. He’s able to ball play and offload the football, but also punch a hole in the middle as well.
“A couple of defensive movements were poor on the weekend, but that’s an area I need to coach into him.”