In the latest of our Back To My Roots features, we look back at Carlos Tuimavave’s journey into the game…
The 26-year old comes from a dedicated and passionate Rugby League family, with a number of his relatives playing the game at a top level.
“Two of my uncles, Tony and Paddy, played for New Zealand and Samoa. Evarn played and he was actually at Hull KR for one season,” Tuimavave explained.
“I would say that I’m a family man, so it was only right for me to follow in the footsteps of some my relatives.
“Over in New Zealand, Rugby League is a massive part of the culture. It wasn’t forced on me to play rugby, but I enjoyed playing it so much from a young age that I played pretty much every day.”
From a young age, Tuimavave has been surrounded by talented rugby players, not just in his family.
After beginning his journey in the sport with Richmond Bulldogs in New Zealand at the age of four, Tuimavave, who at first played at half-back, moved to join amateur club Mount Wellington Warriors.
A 16-year old Tuimavave was terrorising New Zealand’s youth leagues, and it was at this early point in his career that he started to raise the eyebrows of some professional clubs.
“I was playing at Mount Wellington Warriors until the age of 16 and that’s when I got approached by the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs”, Tuimavave said.
“Luckily enough, I pulled out of school at that point, so I didn’t actually have to get a job in an office, on a building site or something like that.
“I went over to Sydney and spent some time with the Bulldogs, but I ended up getting homesick and luckily New Zealand Warriors approached me.
“To begin with, I started playing with the youth team and I was actually playing in the halves alongside Shaun Johnson. I probably learned a lot from that experience.
“At the same time, Shaun and myself played for the Junior Kiwis. I was the captain of the team at that point, which was a pretty awesome feeling.
“We had some great players in that squad, with Jason Taumalolo, Ben Murdoch-Masila and Seb Ikahihifo, so we were a pretty mean team.”
But playing at such an esteemed level of Rugby League, it was inevitable that Tuimavave would encounter his fair share of talented opponents.
After making his debut for the Warriors against Cronulla Sharks in 2012, he went on to make a further eight appearances in a star-studded roster at Mount Smart.
On his debut, Tuimavave came off the bench for the Warriors and took on the likes of Paul Gallen, Andrew Fifita and Tyson Frizell.
And in the following week, Tuimavave lined up against 2015 Clive Churchill Medalist Johnathan Thurston, when the Warriors were humbled by the Cowboys.
“I remember making my debut for the Warriors. We played the Sharks and I came off the bench. I wasn’t expecting to come on until the second-half but one of our boys pulled up and I was thrown on after about 15 minutes.
“It was a really good experience for me. Even though we lost, I learnt a lot from my debut. I played against a lot of tough players and some very technically gifted players, too.”
Tuimavave was seeking more game time in the NRL and therefore made the move to Newcastle Knights in 2015. But he would see out just one season with the Knights before testing the waters of Super League, signing a deal with Hull FC ahead of the 2016 season.
“It was an opportunity to play first grade footy on a regular basis. Unlike when I moved to the Bulldogs, I was a much more mature player and there was never really any homesickness when I eventually came over to England.
“I found it quite east to settle down because there were a lot of islanders at Hull at that time. We would all get together every week with everybody’s families – it was great.”
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