300-game goliath: TEN greatest Jason Taumalolo career moments

North Queensland Cowboys star Jason Taumalolo will mark his 300th NRL game this weekend, joining an elite list of the code's 55 legends who have reached the triple century. What makes it even more special is that the Tongan wrecking ball will celebrate it in front of his friends and family in Townsville when the Penrith Panthers come to visit on Saturday. Taumalolo joins Johnathan Thurston as Cowboys greats who will reach the milestone, and will run out as a one-club legend with his beloved Cowboys. Let's have a look back at ten of Taumalolo's greatest moments that shaped his career. Round 2, 2020 - Breaking an all-time record for metres gained by a forward Jason Taumalolo started off the 2020 season with a bang, smashing an all-time NRL record which saw him produce 345 metres in a single match against the St George Illawarra Dragons. He surpassed Steve Price's record of 323 metres in 2007. Taumalolo finished off the match with 114 post-contact metres, eight tackle breaks and a try. All of these herculean statistics from a middle forward occurred before the six-again infringement was introduced into the competition three months later, making the outlandish numbers even more impressive. The youngest Cowboys debutant Taumalolo holds the record as the youngest ever player to debut for the Cowboys, which was a small hint that he would go on to have what is described as an illustrious career. 2010 Cowboys coach Neil Henry called upon Taumalolo, who was excelling in a quality Toyota Cup side, to be elevated to his NRL bench at 17 years, 2 months and 21 days of age. The club was undergoing somewhat of an injury crisis, and in a brief 15-minute stint, Taumalolo recorded his first tackle break of his career, the first of many over a decorated 16 years. Redefining the middle forward role Taumalolo was truly ahead of his time in his breakout during the early 2010s. Never had the 13-man code seen a player so skillful, agile, and athletic for his size. It broke physics and was the blueprint for forwards today such as Payne Haas, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Haumole Olakau'atu. The expectation of a lock in a team dramatically changed as Taumalolo developed his game. From a traditional defensive workhorse, whose job it was to make tackles, shifted to a damaging, hard-hitting and explosive middle who bends the line with late footwork. His powerful running game and explosive leg drive meant the "third prop" title was changed forever. Now, the expectation remains with ball-playing, post contact metres and footwork, re-establishing the importance of a 13. 2015 Grand Final Taumalolo was an integral part of the Cowboys' title win in 2015. He had high involvement in shutting down the Brisbane Broncos' elite pack, finishing up in Golden Point with 178 metres, 30 tackles, zero misses. He also made no errors and didn't concede a penalty in the entire thrilling encounter. Taumalolo was captured at his quintessential best during this season with his partnership with Thurston, Michael Morgan, Matt Scott and Jason Tamou. While this match wasn't a standout stats-wise, Taumalolo's presence as the game's best forward was paramount during this era as they claimed their maiden premiership in Townsville. 2016 Dally M Continuing in his dominant form into the Cowboys' title defence season, Taumalolo capped off an exceptional year by co-winning the Dally M Medal. He became the first running forward in the modern NRL era to win the accolade, sharing the polling votes with Melbourne Storm star Cooper Cronk. Taumalolo played in all 27 games during the 2016 season, running for 4457 metres (most in the NRL), averaging 165 metres in his matches, while on the other side of the game, making 24 tackles per match. It was here when he really started to become notoriously feared as the game's highest-elite middle. 2017 Grand Final run Somehow, the Tongan star simply went up a gear the following season, securely establishing himself with a handful of others as the NRL's best forwards of all time. His 2017 legacy started during the home and away season, amassing over 5000 run metres, with an average of 205 metres per game. The Cowboys finished in eighth place, and he simply carried the side on his back to defy odds and make a charge to the Grand Final. The Townsville-based club had an injury crisis heading into the final series and was without co-captains Matt Scott and Thurston for their run, leaving it up to Taumalolo and Morgan to roll up their sleeves. One of the biggest finals upsets, the Cowboys beat the highly favoured Sydney Roosters in the preliminary to charge through. Taumalolo averaged 252 running metres in the lead-up to the three finals games before the Grand Final: Week 1 vs. Cronulla Sharks: 71 minutes, 259 metres. Week 2 vs. Parramatta Eels: 58 minutes, 242 metres. Week 3 vs. Sydney Roosters: 64 minutes, 256 metres. The squad during the Grand Final was pushed to its limits through a massive injury toll. Shaun Fensom fractured his tibia and fibula in the third minute of the decider, resulting in a massive stoppage of play. John Asiata played the final series with a broken hand, requiring surgery 2015 hero Kyle Feldt injured his groin in the preliminary but managed to play through. Te Maire Martin suffered an MCL injury, and Scott Bolton played with a complicated fractured sternum injury throughout the season. Despite going down to the Storm, the Cowboys did all of their fans up north proud of their effort. Tonga Defect In a moment that changed the international rugby league landscape forever, Taumalolo defected from New Zealand to play for Tonga ahead of their 2017 World Cup campaign. It led a revolution of NRL stars to follow in his footsteps of switching allegiances from Tier 1 nations, culminating in a historic World Cup campaign, putting the small island nation on the rugby league map forever. The surge of players switching allegiance built momentum for their run, which included Andrew Fifita, David Fusitu'a, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Manu Ma'u, Will Hopoate, Konrad Hurrell, and Michael Jennings. Tonga went on to defeat Samoa and a massive upset against the Kiwis, progressing into the semi-finals before England spoilt the party. Round 1, 2019 - Post-JT Era Following the retirement of Thurston at the end of 2018, the Cowboys were in for a rebuilding phase to try to replace one of the game's greatest players. Although another JT stepped up to the plate. Taumalolo ran for a career-high 301 metres in the first game of the season, while also recording two line breaks and setting up a try for Javid Bowen. Champion players need to rise to the challenge, and that's certainly what he did in the absence of a future Immortal. A few months later, he broke his own record again, running 311 metres in a loss against Manly. Unfortunately, injuries started to creep into his game this year, slowing down his impact as he entered the 2020s. Tonga vs Australia 2019 Mate Ma'a Tonga continued their insane recruitment drive following their 2017 World Cup run, culminating in defeating Australia 16-12 in 2019. It marked the first time since 1978 that a Tier 2 nation defeated Australia, with the blueprint laid out from a brave decision by Taumalolo to represent his island nation instead of New Zealand two years prior. Starting from the lock position, he ran 147 metres and six tackle breaks, leading from the front. Funnily enough, it's safe to call that a quiet night for Taumalolo. The win was such a pivotal moment on the international scene that Taumalolo marked it higher on his achievements than the Cowboys' maiden premiership in 2015. "That's right up there alongside the premiership. I reckon it's probably one [better],'' Taumalolo said to the Sydney Morning Herald in 2019 following the match. "That was probably my biggest game. This is the highlight of my career. "Having on my resume [that] we've beaten the best country in rugby league as a tier-two nation, it's a feeling I'll remember the rest of my life. Hopefully I can spend time telling my kids and grandkids.'' Lone Ranger - overcoming injury and surpassing the greatest capped Cowboy Taumalolo being at the top of the game for so long meant it was a physical battle to keep his body in the best shape, and as his career went on, he began to suffer injuries. The biggest issue was his knees giving way. Chronic degeneration had developed in his knee since 2023, requiring surgery, and as a result, he undergoes a strict load management program to keep him playing as many minutes as he can. Other injuries include MCL tears, while in the year 2021, he sustained three hand fractures during the season in a freak run of luck. Despite all of this, Taumalolo still managed to overtake his long-term Cowboys teammate Thurston as the most capped Cowboy ever. In May, he surpassed Thurston's 294 appearances in the Cowboys colours to take the record outright, made even more special in front of friends and family in Townsville. The record was held for eight years, with Taumalolo adding to his impressive career by notching up game 300 this Saturday night.

		P	W	L	PTS	+/-
1	PEN	14	12	2	28	272
2	NZW	14	10	4	24	170
3	DOL	14	9	5	22	129
4	SYD	14	9	5	22	54
5	NEW	14	9	5	22	34
6	MAN	14	8	6	20	116
7	SOU	13	7	6	20	86
8	CRO	14	8	6	20	45

300-game goliath: TEN greatest Jason Taumalolo career moments

A look back at the pivotal moments that made Jason Taumalolo an NRL star.

6. 2016 Dally M

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