In the early 1980s, Tongan migrants including George Mann Snr, Will Ilolahia, John Schumkael, Sione Inu, Lance Wolfgramm, Neil Muller and Sipi Riggs saw their children growing up far from Tonga, and feared they were losing connection to their culture and identity.

So they created something that was about more than rugby league. They created a place where their children could belong, a place to play, connect, celebrate being Tongan, and stay connected to the homeland their parents had left behind.

This was the beginning of Tongan rugby league, born from love, sacrifice and a deep desire to ensure the next generation never forgot who they were or where they came from.