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Dangerous Sydney Roosters centre Robert Toia came back to haunt his junior club, scoring the first and last try for the Chooks in their masterclass against the Dolphins.
Relishing the chance to play at Suncorp Stadium in the city he grew up in, Toia has impressed in every game since he made his NRL debut against the Brisbane Broncos in Round 1.
After his performance against Dolphins where he registered eight tackle breaks, one try assist, one line break and 187 run metres, signs are there is more to come from the young talent.
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Two for Toia
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity first and foremost… I just give credit to the boys for having belief in me and trusting me to give me the ball,” Toia said.
“Being able to play at Suncorp is surreal.”
The 20-year-old said playing alongside Mark Nawaqanitawase, who also bagged a try double, made his life easier on the field.
Toia said Nawaqanitawase’s understanding of the game and the confidence they had in each other made them an excellent pairing.
“Mark is one of the best players for sure,” Toia said.
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Mark Nawaqanitawase Try
Having overcome two ACL injuries and a broken jaw within the past three seasons, Toia does not take anything for granted, working hard to get where he is and he is determined to stay there.
“It’s been a tough one, but the reassurance from the club has been second to none… they’ve backed me every step of the way,” Toia said, adding fellow centre Billy Smith had helped him a lot.
“I’m grateful for where I am now.”
Toia, inspired by Joey Manu, said he learned a lot from the former Roosters centre.
“Was mainly the little things… you wouldn’t think, you’d think all the flashy stuff… but just the little stuff he did in defence was mainly what I took,” Toia said.
“Obviously everyone saw how good he was with the ball, but just what he was able to do in the other end, I like to take a bit of that.”
The former Queensland Under 17 City and Queensland Under 19s representative is focused “on playing good footy for the club week in, week out”.
“I remember just watching GI… just how dominant he was… it didn’t matter who was in front of him, he was just able to create havoc,” Toia said.
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Greg Inglis career highlights
Roosters coach Trent Robinson said Toia was simply “a really good player”.
“He understands what the most important parts of the game are and he knows what the foundation of his game is and then what the rewards are off the back of it… he’s very clear on that,” Robinson said.
“He’s started his NRL career so far in that way. He’s just been so good.
“When I talk about the foundation, he’s been doing that since he walked in. But then the stuff that people are going to recognise and ask questions about, that happened tonight.
“He’s been really patient knowing when the opportunities come, he’ll take them, because he’s whole junior footy was what you saw tonight. He’s really respectful of the process of becoming an NRL player. You put the two together and you get a game like tonight.
“Nine games in, that’s tip of the cap to kid of that age.”
Match: Roosters v Dolphins
Round 9 -
home Team
Roosters
10th Position
away Team
Dolphins
14th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
The Roosters have a bye in Round 10.
