Taulagi puts whole Lote into self-belief
“ALWAYS back yourself.”
They were the words from dual-international Lote Tuqiri, that have inspired Cowboys young gun Murray Taulagi to keep fighting.
Through the good times and the bad, Taulagi has never forgotten the words of his idol.
When he was forced off the field for eight weeks this season with a second ligament tear in his knee, Tuqiri’s words made sure Taulagi worked hard in rehabilitation under the Cowboys’ Ash Graham.
And now, after only 80 minutes into his league return, Tuqiri’s words are coming true for Taulagi as he pulls on the Maroons jersey tomorrow night for the Queensland under-20s.
In a fitting moment, it was Tuqiri, who is part of the under-20s coaching staff alongside Scott Prince and Brent Tate, who called him to let him know the news.
“I was a bit surprised too, I thought I just didn’t play enough games,” Taulagi, 20, said. “There are boys out there that would have played a lot of footy this season.”
It will be Taulagi’s third year on the State of Origin stage after playing in a winning effort with the under-20s at Suncorp Stadium last year.
It was a Queensland side that featured current NRL regulars Jake Clifford, AJ Brimson, Corey Horsburgh and Thomas Flegler, and it was those experienced players who came to the fore when the game was on the line.
This year, Taulagi is one of those experienced players.
“I’m pretty confident since I have that experience of knowing what to expect,” he said.
“The coaching staff are also good for that confidence. I got to experience Lote (as a coach) last year. He is very wise with what he says to us outside backs, ‘always back yourself’, that was the one thing he kept saying to me. That has become my motto.”
It has been a tough road back from injury for Taulagi, after he tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL). After doing a stint of rehabilitation, the outside back ran on for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup.
He got through four games on the wing before the injury curse struck again and he tore his lateral meniscus.
It was a crushing blow for Taulagi, who had only just signed a two-year contract extension with the Cowboys, and added to the club’s injury woes in the outside backs.
He had to have surgery for a clean-out in his knee, before he started a gruelling eight-week program under Graham.
“I am so glad to be back playing footy,” Taulagi said. “I was sick of being flogged in rehab by Ash.
“This was my first ever serious injury, it was good to know I can overcome it.
“I also had a few of the older boys checking on me … guys like Kyle Feldt, Jason Taumalolo, Gavin Cooper and John Asiata. That really helped me keep fighting to get back.”