HAMMER MIGHT HAVE RULED SUNS
Maroons speed machine Hamiso Tabuai-fidow gave serious thought to joining the Gold Coast Suns in the AFL before a “gut feeling’’ put him on the road to State of Origin.
“The Hammer” has been in such rousing form with his new club the Dolphins that he has squeezed Origin veteran Dane Gagai out of the Queensland side for the first match against the Blues at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
But instead of lining up for the Maroons in Aussie rulesmad Adelaide, Tabuai-fidow could have been part of the Suns’ challenge for the top eight, such was his potential as an AFL player.
As a teenager, he was at the centre of a three-way tug of war for his services because he was part of the Queensland Reds rugby union academy and the Gold Coast Suns’ Far North AFL Academy.
Tabuai-fidow was also judged best on ground in the Cairns under-15s AFL grand final in 2016.
AFL scouts felt his natural flair would have been suited to a variety of positions, including midfield, wing and halfforward, but a $4000 offer from the Cowboys sealed his NRL future and put him on the path to Origin stardom with Queensland.
“I think I was about 16 and I got an offer from the Gold Coast Suns and Cowboys at the same time,” Tabuai-fidow said before his second Origin game. “It was a close decision because I was playing and enjoying AFL at the time.
“But I stuck to my gut feeling to stay with league because it is what I did growing up.
“Sometimes I watch the Suns and think what I could have done with that game but I am happy with the decision I have made.
“Coming from north Queensland played a part because we live and breathe league up there. My family would have wanted me to play league.’’
Former North Queensland scout Clint Zammit was the talent spotter who lured the Hammer to the Cowboys.
Zammit also signed NRL superstars Kalyn Ponga and Jason Taumalolo as teenagers and said he only had to watch a few minutes of action to make his move for TabuaiFidow.
“He was at Brisbane Grammar playing union and he was also playing a bit of AFL,” Zammit recalled. “He was such a good athlete, he could have made it in any code.
“He left Cairns as a 14-yearold and I turned up to watch a GPS game one day as a scout for the Cowboys.
“Hammer had one touch, beat five blokes to score and I thought, ‘Wow, who is this kid’. I found out he was from Cairns and said I want this kid at the Cowboys.
“We signed him to the Cowboys for $4000 and he attended Kirwan High. His athletic ability was never going to hold old him back.
“I remember talking to Rick Hanlon, who runs the AFL Academy in Cairns, and he said Hammer could have been anything in the AFL.
“I have no doubt he would have made it in the AFL with his speed and movement. He would have been a superstar.
“The way he moved was freakish and it doesn’t surprise me he has progressed so quickly. In the open spaces of the AFL, he would have been a star.”
Sean Hunter from the AFL Cape York House in Cairns said Tabuai-fidow could have dominated with the Sherrin. “Hamiso was a naturally talented athlete,” he said. “His body and athleticism were conducive to AFL. He had explosive power, a strong vertical leap, endurance and loved physical contact. “His spatial awareness and ability to cover the ground made him hard to defend or account for. I am not surprised by how fast he has achieved success in the NRL.
“He is a humble fella that is passionate about his culture – and lots of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders look up to him.
“I have no hesitation that Hamiso could have easily converted to AFL and been successful. All of his dominance and attributes in the NRL, he was doing on an oval field from every direction.
“I couldn’t be prouder of his growth and the ability to have known him before his growing status as an elite footballer.”
Tabuai-fidow scored for the Maroons in his Origin debut in 2021 and has been one of the standout signings for the Dolphins in their foundation campaign this season.
The 21-year-old has been as sharp as he is safe and he lauded the support of Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett after Tabuai-fidow took a leap of faith by quitting the Cowboys.
“It’s paid off big time the decision to come down to the Dolphins,” he said. “To get into the starting side and play fullback as well ... Wayne has really helped me.
“He’s made my game very simple. He tells me to have fun and enjoy my football and that will be my attitude in the Queensland jumper.”