‘It rocked me’: Amone coming to terms with playing ban

Talatau “Junior” Amone has come to realise that often the best gifts come badly wrapped.

Just a few days before Christmas, Amone learnt that his $500,000-per-season Dragons contract had been torn up. Deregistered indefinitely by the NRL for his role in a hammer attack in Wollongong, a career that began with so much promise – including 51 NRL games and three Tests for Samoa – had come to an abrupt halt at the age of just 21.

It left the playmaker with little to celebrate during the festive season, save for the fact he could serve his two-year sentence – which includes 300 hours of community service – at home rather than behind bars.

After overcoming the initial shock of having everything suddenly taken away, a silver lining emerged.

“It was tough at the start, getting the news that I won’t be able to play this year,” Amone tells this masthead. “When I first got the news it rocked me a bit, I just didn’t know what to do.

“Footy is all I’ve done my whole life. So getting that news, knowing that I’m not allowed to play the sport I love and the thing that I love to do, it rocked me a bit and it took me a while to get over it.

Former Dragons playmaker Talatau “Junior” Amone is hoping to return to rugby league as soon as possible.

“I’ll take it as a little blessing in disguise and now I can just work on myself mentally and physically, be able to train every day and just focus on my mental well-being. I’m still young, I haven’t scratched the surface yet in my rugby league career.

“I’m ready to come back from this and show everyone what I’ve really got. I haven’t really reached my potential yet and I just can’t wait to go out there and show everyone my best. I have the right support system around, I’ve got my family, I’ve got close friends. They got me through it and there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.

“I realised that and I know when I come back, it will make me a better player. I’ll come back stronger mentally and physically.”

When that happens remains to be seen. Amone’s lawyer, Elias Tabchouri, confirmed an appeal has been lodged. “We believe in his innocence and he’s keen to clear his name,” Tabchouri says.

Talatau Amone has played 51 NRL games and three Tests for Samoa.

Amone’s junior club, Western Suburbs Red Devils, has also reached out about the prospect of him playing in the Illawarra Rugby League competition. However, an official submission has yet to be made to the NSWRL and it’s unclear whether the NRL would greenlight the move.

“The Wests coach has contacted me,” Amone says. “I told him if I’m not able to play, I’d love to help out any way possible, see my little brothers there and come to training sessions and help out.”

Given he has 300 hours of community service to whittle away, helping out is something Amone will be doing a lot of. The process has begun at Lake Illawarra’s PCYC and Amone is also exploring other volunteering and business opportunities while in footballing purgatory. “I’m just trying to stay active and help out the people around me now,” he says.

Then there are the training sessions with Roger Fabri. The renowned sprint coach has played a role in some of the NRL’s greatest comeback stories, including those of Jake Friend, Todd Carney, Mitchell Pearce, Matt Lodge and Bronson Xerri. Amone describes Fabri, who he has worked with since the age of 14, as “family” just moments before a workout at Maroubra during the week.

Sprint coach Roger Fabri is a mentor to Talatau Amone.

“I’m enjoying that part of my skill set, helping people with that mental component that I can offer,” Fabri says. “Sometimes I find that more gratifying than the physical aspect.

“It’s hard when your livelihood is taken away from you, you lose your structure and these guys often don’t know where else to go. The more he has been communicating, the more I can see he is handling his situation better.”

Amone’s suspension comes at a time when there is a dearth of playmakers in the game. The best halves – Daly Cherry-Evans, Ben Hunt, Adam Reynolds, Luke Keary and Shaun Johnson – are in the twilight of their careers. It’s why Amone is likely to be in demand when allowed to return to the NRL.

“This little setback, it’s made for a bigger comeback,” Amone says. “It affected me a bit but now I can see the big picture, that once I do come back, it will disappear, it will make me stronger mentally and physically.

“I feel like I’m gonna come back 10 times stronger and better than I was.”

Talatau Amone

“That’s what I’m most excited about coming back, proving a lot of haters and doubters wrong and proving my loved ones, my family and myself right.

“I feel like you can go two ways with it; you can sit down and feel sorry for yourself and sook about. Or you can just deal with it and keep going. That’s what I’m doing. They can knock me down 100 times, I’ll get up 101 times. That’s how it is, that’s how I was raised. I’m ready for whatever.”

Amone’s first big pay cheque came at the age of just 14. Playing for the Western Suburbs Devils, he earned a $20,000 prize from The Footy Show for scoring a try that was deemed the best in junior footy during the 2014 season.

Talatau Amone wants to be in top shape in preparation for a comeback.

Since then, success has come almost too easily for Amone. His deregistration is a timely reminder not to squander the next opportunity.

“The biggest learning for me is not to take anything for granted,” he says. “When I was playing I might have taken it for granted a bit here and there. You don’t realise how important it is to you until you actually lose it.

“Now I realise how much I actually loved training every day, loved taking that field every week.

“I know once I get that back, I’m gonna grab it with two hands and cherish it. I feel like I’m gonna come back 10 times stronger and better than I was. It is a blessing in disguise for myself.”

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