For my boy: The emotional reason behind Mikaele's Cowboys rise

On the surface of it Thomas Mikaele’s rise from train-and-trialist to long-term contracted NRL player with the Cowboys looks like a classic tale of personal redemption.  

A premature exit from the NRL in 2022 at the age of 24, an unsuccessful attempt to resurrect things at the Titans a year later: the ingredients were there for this to be portrayed as a rugby league lifeline and a chance to show he still belonged. 

Except none of that was even close to Thomas’ mind at the time of it all playing out.  

After confronting the reality that the nomadic nature of his job – which in 2023 included two separate periods living in each hemisphere – was having a negative impact on his son Nas, and his journey with what Thomas and partner Jasmine suspected were the early signs of autism, career goals took a backseat.   

“We had a feeling earlier in his life that something was different, but there were some hurdles we had to jump through to see a paediatrician,” Thomas tells NRL.com as part of the Hisense Upgrade Season series. 

“We had him on a waitlist in Australia for a while which was six months to a year, but then once we ended up in the UK we had to ask around and figure out how to get him sorted over there, so we joined another waitlist.  

“He’d been waiting for three years by the end, which wasn’t ideal, especially for my missus over there in the UK, she was doing it tough.  

The main reason why we came back was because we’d had our second child in the UK and Nas needed his diagnosis done.

Thomas Mikaele

“The big thing was getting him sorted with a speech therapist and building from there.” 

Upon returning to Australia at the end of last year, after two periods playing with Warrington between a stint at the Titans, doctors in Queensland confirmed the couple’s suspicions and diagnosed Nas with autism. 

It came as a relief in many ways and allowed them to better understand the needs of their son and begin putting steps in place to help.  

Around the same time Thomas was trying to find a job for 2024, which became a frustrating process as clubs showed a reluctance to offer up anything other than a chance for him to prove himself over a pre-season. 

"I understood that it’s a business in the NRL, and probably if you looked at my past performances leading up to when I left for the UK I wasn’t playing as good as I should have been," he says. 

"But it was tough knowing the best I could get was a train-and-trial deal.

Waiting around in limbo, not knowing what I was going to do... it was hard for me because I was coming off a good season in England.

Thomas Mikaele

"I just felt like I had a lot more to give."

With a handful of train-and-trial deals on the table, he eventually decided to head to the Cowboys, which would allow the family to settle – at least temporarily – in their home state of Queensland.  

But it was a brave move from a footy point of view.

The club already boasted a stacked middle forward depth chart that included current representative players Reuben Cotter, Griffin Neame and Jason Taumalolo, plus top veterans Jordan McLean and Coen Hess. 

It was no small thing signing up for a pre-season under the unforgiving Townsville sun either, especially after last touching a rugby league ball at the chilly end of an English autumn. 

By December he had been rewarded with a supplementary deal for the upcoming season, which guaranteed him a job for 2024, albeit without being a top 30 contracted player.  

The departure of Luciano Leilua at the end of February then opened up a spot in the top group which Thomas duly grabbed – thanks in part to a stunning performance off the bench in a Pre-Season Challenge victory over the Raiders – which included scoring two tries.

After biding his time as an unused replacement player in each of the club’s opening seven games, he eventually made his club debut in Round 8 and within the next month he and the club had worked out an upgraded two-year deal, with an additional option for 2027 should the Cowboys opt to keep him.   

For Thomas and Jasmine, the length of the deal and financial security that comes with it means they can finally settle down and offer a more stable environment for Nas and one-year-old daughter Amina.

“We will be looking to buy a house as soon as possible. That’s something we have spoken about for a while now; we’ve been looking for a home and now that’s sorted and we will be in Townsville for at least the next couple of years. 

“That’s the next thing on the radar, to get a place, a proper home, for us and the kids.  

“The idea of home has changed from when we didn’t have kids to now; it’s wherever we can excel as a family.” 

Meanwhile Nas, who is four now, is showing positive signs of growth and development every day, which recently included saying his first word: dad.  

“That was special, it was just over a FaceTime call and he just came over and said it randomly,” Thomas says with a smile.  

“Jasmine and I just looked at each other with our mouths opened from surprise. She was a bit teary, but I think she was a bit off as well that he didn’t say mum first! 

He’s improving and learning and growing every day… every day you can see the difference.

Thomas Mikaele

“I look back now to when we wanted to get him help and we couldn’t because of me moving around, and I’m just happy that’s not the case now.  

“It’s also a lot of pressure off my shoulders and I am relieved with everything, and for Jasmine as well, it was more so for her because she was the one at home dealing with all this while I was playing footy.” 

On the field Thomas has now become a first-choice player for coach Todd Payten, with his seven appearances to date being the most he’s made in an NRL season since back in his third campaign with the Wests Tigers in 2021.  

More than anything the 26-year-old says he owes his current form to his time in England, which helped him rediscover a love for the game which had waned in recent years.   

“My form in Australia dropped [at the end of my time with the Wests Tigers] because I didn’t enjoy playing anymore,” he says. “Not many people know how close I was to quitting.  

“It just wasn’t what I wanted to do at the time and I wasn’t happy. Going over to England gave me a refresh and a change of scenery is what I needed.  

“My journey isn’t a journey many can say they have been on, but everything on the field is going well now. 

“I’ve made my way into the squad so now I just need to get better. I feel like I have only scratched the surface on what I can do on the field.”