HappilyManly
Journey Man
Mum's the word for Manly's 2012 revelation Jorge Taufua
by: Josh Massoud
From: The Daily Telegraph
September 20, 2012 12:00AM
Source: The Daily Telegraph
WHEN the chips were down, Jorge Taufua simply looked up.
Just another kid on a packed training field of fellow hopefuls, he would routinely gaze at the adjacent Westmead Hospital during the 2009 pre-season.
The geometrical building always gave Taufua strength to continue, because the force within its sterile walls refused to waver.
Late the previous year, his mother Sandi was admitted to ICU after suffering a severe and unforeseen stroke.
She was 36 years old.
As the weeks turned to months and the leaves to brown, Sandi remained under care as she fought to regain her speech and hard-won dignity. And when he wasn't at her bedside, Taufua scrapped and scrimaged to build a career capable of somehow easing the discomfort.
"Our school team actually trained next to the hospital," he says.
"Every time at training, I'd look up and see the hospital.
"I knew mum was inside fighting. It got me through all those times I thought about giving up. She would keep giving me an extra push.
"She inspired me."
Fast forward to this week and Sandi is now sitting quietly on a large sofa as her eldest son recalls those dark days.
"No," she interrupts suddenly. "He inspires me."
Inherently, rugby league is a game built on overcoming adversity.
Many of its proudest flagbearers rise from the humblest roots, their rags-to-riches tales deepening to the fabric of motivation that compels youngsters to keep beating the odds.
But even before Sandi's stroke, the break-out player of this year's finals series was a prime candidate for the next generation of NRL aspirants.
When he moved to Sydney's west as a seven-year-old, Canberra-born Taufua was raised on Sandi's single income. She did odd jobs such as waitressing, housekeeping and receptionist work to put him and younger brother Tony through school.
But it wasn't until his early teenage years that Taufua first played rugby league for Wentworthville Magpies.
Having not taken the slightest interest in the code until then, Sandi fast became an ardent supporter.
Jorge Taufua - Try.
Jorge Taufua scores for Manly during the NRL elimination final against the Cowboys. Picture: Mark Evans Source: The Daily Telegraph
.
"I was not really that good at first," Taufua says.
"Mum used to have to grab me all the time and push me to get involved.
"Most games, I could hear her yelling on the sidelines.
"She wasn't afraid to give me a bit of coaching."
It's now been four years since Taufua was privy to Sandi's encouragement during a match. She hasn't attended a single game since being released from hospital midway through 2009, and has followed the 20-year-old's rise on Manly's left-hand wing from a rented house in Rooty Hill.
It began with his NRL debut against St George Illawarra back in round four - a two-minute cameo featuring no touches or tackles.
"He didn't even let me know about it," Sandi reveals.
"I found out when I was watching TV.
"But it didn't matter how long he was on the field. He made it that night and I don't really know what else to say.
"I'm just so grateful that Jorge got that opportunity."
Like so many of their emotions, the feeling is mutual.
For Taufua, to again speak with Sandi is priceless after months of agonising silence following her collapse.
"My life just froze," he says.
"I didn't know what to do. Mum has always been the rock of our family.
"She's our captain.
"She wasn't enjoying it in hospital. She couldn't talk at first, which was hard because I could tell she could still understand what I was saying to her. She would just get emotional, because she couldn't get the words out."
Her loss of speech and mobility plunged the family - including Sandi's husband Dave and their daughter Liana - into a nomadic existence.
At one point they lived in a room behind the Prospect Hotel, where Taufua sold crates of beer and bottles of wine to supplement his meagre Toyota Cup income at Parramatta. He was then forced to accept a zero-dollar base contract at Manly last year after the Eels cut ties because they couldn't convince his stocky 102kg frame to play second row.
But just this week - after posting a staggering 513 running metres, 25 tackle busts and two tries over the past fortnight - Taufua was treated to a pair of firsts that illustrate just how far he's come.
"When I got home on Monday, the neighbour yelled-out: 'Hey Jorge, good game on the weekend'," Taufua says.
"He's never spoken to us before that. Not a single word.
"And then on my way to training on Tuesday morning, a young woman came up to me and asked for a photo in the city.
"That's never happened before either."
The Kodak moment took place behind Wynyard station, the mid-point of Taufua's mammoth two-hour train and bus ride to Narrabeen.
Now getting back to her assertive best, Sandi rises before dawn to ensure he gets to Rooty Hill station on time for the 6am city service.
Nevertheless, she still cannot quite muster the confidence to watch him play live just yet.
"I don't like the crowds," she said. "I can't do it."
For now. But should Manly win through to next weekend's grand final, Sandi is likely to change her mind - particularly in light of a promise from ANZ Stadium officials to make the occasion a day to remember.
"Whether or not mum comes to the game, I always leave it up to her," Taufua says.
"In the end, it was not really my dream to play rugby league as a kid and now I just want to earn enough money to get my parents their own house.
"I just want to look after mum and make her life easier."
------------------------------------------------
Let's hope that the Lady can attend her first GF to see her amazingly talented son blitz the opposition
by: Josh Massoud
From: The Daily Telegraph
September 20, 2012 12:00AM
Source: The Daily Telegraph
WHEN the chips were down, Jorge Taufua simply looked up.
Just another kid on a packed training field of fellow hopefuls, he would routinely gaze at the adjacent Westmead Hospital during the 2009 pre-season.
The geometrical building always gave Taufua strength to continue, because the force within its sterile walls refused to waver.
Late the previous year, his mother Sandi was admitted to ICU after suffering a severe and unforeseen stroke.
She was 36 years old.
As the weeks turned to months and the leaves to brown, Sandi remained under care as she fought to regain her speech and hard-won dignity. And when he wasn't at her bedside, Taufua scrapped and scrimaged to build a career capable of somehow easing the discomfort.
"Our school team actually trained next to the hospital," he says.
"Every time at training, I'd look up and see the hospital.
"I knew mum was inside fighting. It got me through all those times I thought about giving up. She would keep giving me an extra push.
"She inspired me."
Fast forward to this week and Sandi is now sitting quietly on a large sofa as her eldest son recalls those dark days.
"No," she interrupts suddenly. "He inspires me."
Inherently, rugby league is a game built on overcoming adversity.
Many of its proudest flagbearers rise from the humblest roots, their rags-to-riches tales deepening to the fabric of motivation that compels youngsters to keep beating the odds.
But even before Sandi's stroke, the break-out player of this year's finals series was a prime candidate for the next generation of NRL aspirants.
When he moved to Sydney's west as a seven-year-old, Canberra-born Taufua was raised on Sandi's single income. She did odd jobs such as waitressing, housekeeping and receptionist work to put him and younger brother Tony through school.
But it wasn't until his early teenage years that Taufua first played rugby league for Wentworthville Magpies.
Having not taken the slightest interest in the code until then, Sandi fast became an ardent supporter.
Jorge Taufua - Try.
Jorge Taufua scores for Manly during the NRL elimination final against the Cowboys. Picture: Mark Evans Source: The Daily Telegraph
.
"I was not really that good at first," Taufua says.
"Mum used to have to grab me all the time and push me to get involved.
"Most games, I could hear her yelling on the sidelines.
"She wasn't afraid to give me a bit of coaching."
It's now been four years since Taufua was privy to Sandi's encouragement during a match. She hasn't attended a single game since being released from hospital midway through 2009, and has followed the 20-year-old's rise on Manly's left-hand wing from a rented house in Rooty Hill.
It began with his NRL debut against St George Illawarra back in round four - a two-minute cameo featuring no touches or tackles.
"He didn't even let me know about it," Sandi reveals.
"I found out when I was watching TV.
"But it didn't matter how long he was on the field. He made it that night and I don't really know what else to say.
"I'm just so grateful that Jorge got that opportunity."
Like so many of their emotions, the feeling is mutual.
For Taufua, to again speak with Sandi is priceless after months of agonising silence following her collapse.
"My life just froze," he says.
"I didn't know what to do. Mum has always been the rock of our family.
"She's our captain.
"She wasn't enjoying it in hospital. She couldn't talk at first, which was hard because I could tell she could still understand what I was saying to her. She would just get emotional, because she couldn't get the words out."
Her loss of speech and mobility plunged the family - including Sandi's husband Dave and their daughter Liana - into a nomadic existence.
At one point they lived in a room behind the Prospect Hotel, where Taufua sold crates of beer and bottles of wine to supplement his meagre Toyota Cup income at Parramatta. He was then forced to accept a zero-dollar base contract at Manly last year after the Eels cut ties because they couldn't convince his stocky 102kg frame to play second row.
But just this week - after posting a staggering 513 running metres, 25 tackle busts and two tries over the past fortnight - Taufua was treated to a pair of firsts that illustrate just how far he's come.
"When I got home on Monday, the neighbour yelled-out: 'Hey Jorge, good game on the weekend'," Taufua says.
"He's never spoken to us before that. Not a single word.
"And then on my way to training on Tuesday morning, a young woman came up to me and asked for a photo in the city.
"That's never happened before either."
The Kodak moment took place behind Wynyard station, the mid-point of Taufua's mammoth two-hour train and bus ride to Narrabeen.
Now getting back to her assertive best, Sandi rises before dawn to ensure he gets to Rooty Hill station on time for the 6am city service.
Nevertheless, she still cannot quite muster the confidence to watch him play live just yet.
"I don't like the crowds," she said. "I can't do it."
For now. But should Manly win through to next weekend's grand final, Sandi is likely to change her mind - particularly in light of a promise from ANZ Stadium officials to make the occasion a day to remember.
"Whether or not mum comes to the game, I always leave it up to her," Taufua says.
"In the end, it was not really my dream to play rugby league as a kid and now I just want to earn enough money to get my parents their own house.
"I just want to look after mum and make her life easier."
------------------------------------------------
Let's hope that the Lady can attend her first GF to see her amazingly talented son blitz the opposition
