Carpool sessions, wedding vows and hard yards: How Biz took Tito under his wing

Departing Panther Sunia Turuva believes Brian To’o has changed the role of wingers in the modern game as he revealed the massive influence the Samoan superstar has had on him.

Turuva was a shy rookie when he first joined Penrith’s NRL squad in 2022 but To’o took him under his wing and the pair became so close that he was a member of the star winger’s bridal party.

A renowned prankster, To’o broke the ice by usurping former Panthers star Stephen Crichton as Turuva’s lift to training and they formed a friendship that has helped on the field as 'Tito' cemented the other wing spot.

“When I first came into NRL I was carpooling with Critta and then Biz, being the prankster that he is, he just came in and sort of eased things up for me,” Turuva said.

“After that we used to carpool together, he’d come and pick me up, and we just developed a special bond.

“I was shy and nervous, and he was just always cracking jokes with me, but he always asks how my family is going.

“He is the man, I love that guy. He is a real special bloke. I was lucky enough to be picked in the line for his wedding.”

To’o proposed his wife Moesha at fulltime in Penrith’s 2021 grand final win against South Sydney and they were married after he helped Samoa create history by becoming the first Pacific nation to qualify for a World Cup in 2022.

The 26-year-old revealed that he had given the engagement ring to Crichton’s fiancée Leone, whom the Bulldogs captain is marrying next week ahead of Samoa’s two Test tour to England.

“He's selected me as his best man, so I’m really excited to celebrate his special day with him and his wife to be,” To’o said.

“She [Leone] was holding the ring for me during the grand final and then when I went to hug my wife, I kind of scooped it up from behind her and proposed.

“I was going to do it in the park or to the beach or something, but I thought I would just take it to a whole different level. I just felt she deserves it just so I thought I would amp it up a bit.

“During that year I was planning on proposing during the Origin series but then COVID hit and that disrupted everything.

“Everyone kept asking me, what would have happened if you lost the grand final … but I still would have proposed that day. I wouldn’t change it from that day, that was a pretty special moment.”

Turuva played in his first grand final last year and will pull on a Panthers jersey for the last time in Sunday's decider against the Storm after being a shock omission the last time the two teams met in Round 24.

With the 23-year-old carrying the ball 207m against Melbourne in Round 1 and averaging 164m per game this season, the Storm are expected to kick to him to limit his impact from yardage runs.

“I just try to embrace the challenge of teams going to kick to me but then if I do get tackled on that first tackle, I try and go looking for work on that second or third tackle," Turuva said.

“If they kick to Biz, I'll be looking to try and come in for carry. It's something we have talked about, with myself, Dylan [Edwards] and Biz. 

“He's gone through all that and for myself on the other side it just makes me like ... I pretty much I have to do that.

"The stuff he does in the backfield is it's crazy, the amount of runs he has and the metres he racks up. He's just a different beast, that guy. He's one of a kind.

“I think he's changed the game for wingers, especially with how he goes looking for work each set, so I have to have to pretty much follow him and copy him."

Turuva will join Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai at Wests Tigers next season, but To'o said they would always share a close relationship. 

“Our time off the field is just as special as being on the field together," To'o said.

“When Sunia came into the squad, he was still young and he was catching taxis and Ubers to training, so I offered him to jump in with me and carpool to training.

“I think that was when we kind of got to know each other a little bit more and build that relationship so that was pretty cool.

"We carpooled together for 2022 and 2023, and he managed to get his licence, as well. He was in my bridal line so that was a pretty special moment to have him there.

“He is definitely someone that I really appreciate every day and he's a very good kid so I’m very honoured to have him in my life."