Sunia Turuva lost eight kilograms, spent a fortnight in bed and still grimaces when he talks about how serious his health situation had become during the off season.
But you can’t keep a good man down. The Wests Tigers recruit has scored five tries in his past two games and has been in full voice on and off the field as he makes himself at home at Leichhardt after moving from four-time defending premiers Penrith at the end of 2024.
At the Tigers, Turuva is responsible for wheeling around a giant speaker, which blasts out hits by artists such as Mariah Carey and Skepta, to keep the vibes up before training and on game days.
But there was one moment that kept Turuva quiet. And with good reason.
As he tried to complete a series of drills on the final day of a training camp outside Brisbane in January, the 22-year-old’s appendix was close to bursting.
Turuva this week opened up for the first time about how he kept the excruciating abdominal pain a secret, and admitted himself to Westmead Hospital just hours after returning to Sydney.
The Tigers filmed an excellent documentary about the camp, called Thrive Or Survive, and episode one features a touching scene where coach Benji Marshall pulls Turuva aside to tell him what an influence he is having on the group.
Marshall spoke about how Turuva had arrived at the club as a two-time premiership winner, and told him Tigers players looked up to him.
“You’ve actually got more influence than you think – you’re one of our greatest talkers with the maddest energy,” Marshall whispers to Turuva.
“The next step for you is like, OK, I can influence what the people around me are doing. So have a little think about that. What do you reckon? Bro, you’re a f---ing gun. We’re lucky to have you.”
The Wests Tigers winger has opened up about his appendix scare at a pre-season boot camp.
Turuva woke up on the Saturday morning of the training camp experiencing shocking stomach pains. But with Marshall’s words still ringing in his ears, he knew he had to soldier on and lead by example.
He completed a morning swim, then joined his team for a series of running drills through a forest while carrying jerry cans and a stretcher.
For a few hours, Turuva tried his best to ignore the pain, only for the discomfort to return when the team arrived at Brisbane airport. He got through the hour-long flight, arrived home and told his partner, Nia, he needed to lie down in the hope the sharp pain would pass.
A few hours later he contacted Tigers physio Pete Moussa, who then reached out to the club doctor, Ben Jacobs – who realised the seriousness of the situation.Sunia Turuva lost eight kilograms, spent a fortnight in bed and still grimaces when he talks about how serious his health situation had become during the off season.
