How Fonua Pole, Wests Tigers Victorian tyro, became the most underrated player in the NRL
By
Nick Campton
Posted 1h ago1 hours ago
Fonua Pole has become one of the best young forwards in the NRL since debuting two years ago. (Getty Images: Mark Evans )
In modern times, it's hard for any NRL player to truly be underrated.
With a greater focus on the game than ever before, the saviour complex which has sunk many a player's career before it even gets started and the all-pervasive influence of fantasy sports, nobody can really fly under the radar for too long anymore.
Being underrated really is a moment in time. Penrith's Scott Sorensen was underrated for the Panthers first premiership, but not for the next two. Newcastle's Leo Thompson was overlooked for a while, but not now he's played for New Zealand.
Even the less heralded types — like Melbourne's Josh King, or Gold Coast's Brian Kelly — eventually, or at least occasionally, get their fair share of accolades. In modern rugby league it just isn't easy to stay underrated for long.
But somehow, young Wests Tigers prop Fonua Pole is managing it — although if he keeps playing like this it won't stay that way for much longer.
Pole has been around long enough that keen-eyed fans might already be familiar with the 22-year old's work. He made his NRL debut two years ago and Friday's clash with the Sharks will mark his 50th first grade appearance.
But in a sport where everybody knows everything about everybody and runs on feeding the hype machine early and often, Pole's excellent work in the middle of the field for the Tigers means he's as close as we're going to get.
The Tigers might still be struggling for consistent victories but given Pole is averaging more metres than the likes of Queensland Origin prop Lindsay Collins, Penrith hard man Moses Leota and Tigers teammate Stefano Utoikamanu, working out why he can still claim the underrated tag isn't easy.
Part of it might be that he's still so young – even after 50 games, he still feels like he's establishing himself.
Pole will play his 50th NRL game on Friday.(Getty Images: Cameron Spencer )
"I didn't even notice how quick the time has gone since my debut. I'm grateful just to get one game, especially for this club," Pole said.
"I still feel like I haven't played that much. That's my personality a bit, I'm always looking to learn. I still get that buzz every game, it's always the same feeling."
Or it might be that Pole's footy background is different than most. He's a rare Victorian junior who's made it to first grade and only took up rugby league because his mother didn't like how his Aussie rules games, which were played on Sundays, clashed with church.
Were Pole raised in New South Wales or Queensland, the first inklings of State of Origin hype would be swirling around him and that's as sure a way as any of knowing a player is far from underrated.
But Pole is Victorian through and through which made it fitting that he played one of the best games of his career against the Storm last week.
Pole scored a try, ran for 167m, broke seven tackles and made 21 without a miss in just over 60 minutes of game time. It typified the high-minute, high-output, hard-nosed brand of football which is fast becoming his trademark.
The Storm got up 40-28 with Pole's close friend and fellow Victorian junior Sua Fa'alogo scoring a double, but it was a reminder of just what the Tigers found when they spotted Pole playing for a Combined Affiliate States team at the Australian Schoolboys Championships a few years ago.
"I'm just grateful Mum dropped me off at rugby training that day," Pole said.
"In my age group you couldn't really see a pathway but that's easier now and it's great for Melbourne.
"I'm good mates with Sua, I wanted to slap him after he got his try, he gave a little cheeky look to Jahream Bula.
"I always keep an eye on the Melbourne juniors coming through, it's great to see kids from the community chase their dreams."
Perhaps Pole doesn't get the shine he's fast deserving because of his front row partner Stefano Utoikamanu who has attracted much publicity since deciding to test the open market and potentially leave the club.
The two are close mates, with Pole counting Utoikamanu as one of the biggest influences on his career.
"We train a lot together, I've picked up on his habits and we're building a good combination," Pole said.
"That contributes a lot, learning off the big boppers like Klem (David Klemmer) and Stef, that's helping me show my game.
"We do a lot of extras and we focus on details. Everything we do, on the field or in the gym, we always compete against each other and that gets the buzz going.
Pole is slightly ahead of Utoikamanu when it comes to average metres a game but the latter has him covered when it comes to defensive work rate, offloads and tackle busts.
Utoikamanu has also helped Pole with the finer details of front-row play – contrary to popular belief, there's a lot more to it than just running into people or having them run into you.
"Defence, you have to think about which way you're flipping back after a tackle, especially if you're the third man in," Pole said.
"If you flip the wrong way, without thinking, it can cause an underlap or an overlap.
"Making the effort to get the defender onto your right shoulder, making sure you step in to contact, buying time on the ground for the rest of the team — there's more to it than people think."
With a mind like that, the strength and mobility to back it up and the drive that's taken him from one of rugby league's frontiers all the way to the big time, Pole's status as the most underrated player in rugby league won't last long.
Come November, he'll be a free agent for 2026 and there will be no shortage of clubs keen on landing him.
Pole says he hasn't thought much about his future beyond next season but he's currently loving life at the Tigers and while he might be underrated by most, coach Benji Marshall knows exactly what he's got on his hands.
"I love it here. If Tigers want me to stay here, I'd gladly stay, but I'll see about that when the time comes," Pole said.
"Benji understands us young kids coming through, he's easy to get on with and he knows when to be serious. He's given me confidence in myself, sometimes I struggle with that.
"But he tells me all the time he believes I can be more than I am, that I can be one of the best front-rowers in the game."
