A rising star for the Sydney Roosters, young forward Kynan Toevai is one of the many talented players on show in the SG Ball Cup competition as they attempt to chase their dreams of one day playing in the NRL.
Born and bred in Parramatta, the hulking front-rower - 192cm and 108kg - is one of the many young forwards coming through the Roosters pathways system as they attempt to rebuild their squad following the departures of Jared Waerea-Hargraves, Joseph Manu, Joseph Suaalii, Luke Keary, Sitili Tupouniua and Terrell May.
Recruited to the club by Sydney Roosters recruitment manager Clint Zammit, Toevai signed a two-year contract until the end of 2026 and is attempting to slowly force his way into the Jersey Flegg Cup and NSW Cup squads, and make an impression on club officials.
Before joining the club, he spent one season in the Parramatta Eels development system - before being cut by the club - and two more seasons in the South Sydney Rabbitohs system before switching to the Bondi-based club.
Looking up to 2014 Grand Final hero Sam Burgess, Zero Tackle spoke exclusively to the talented teenager about his rugby league journey, mentors, goals, and ambitions as he attempted to chase his dream of playing in the NRL and turn it into a reality.
Toevai, a Type 1 diabetic, hopes to inspire other kids with diabetes and ensure they can do anything possible.
"I'm a Type 1 diabetic as well and I see this as a pathway to inspire other kids with Type 1 diabetes that you don't have to hide away in your shell and you can do whatever," Toevai told Zero Tackle.
"Last season, I worked so hard and tried my hardest, but unfortunately, things didn't go my way, and I felt like I deserved to start and then to progress on to hopefully Flegg.
"That's my goal to push onto Jersey Flegg or even NSW Cup this year because I thought I should have last year, but that didn't happen, so this year definitely.
"The Roosters came to my manager about halfway through the season, and they said that they've been watching me, and then they said that they will continue watching me until the end of the season, and then met up with them and Clint Zammit.
"We met and I loved it, so we decided to go."
A talented multi-code athlete across several sports, including Touch Football and OzTag, the youngster decided to follow the rugby league path and follow in the footsteps of his sister's partner, Ronald Volkman.
Already having learnt from the likes of John Sutton and Boyd Cordner, Toevai is one of the most promising forwards in the SG Ball Cup competition and has solidified a great bond with the other players in the squad, such as Rex Bassingthwaite, Michael Nassar, Tyson Walker, Peter Benjamin Uini and Eddy Cayless.
However, he admitted that he wouldn't be where he is today without the help of his family and close friends.
"I started boxing before even going to footy training and then my mate convinced me to come back and that year I made the development squad," he added.
"My family's always told me how much they've believed in me and they've always taken me to training. Even going all the way to Malabar and back is crazy.
"They don't have to say it as well but you can just see it in their actions and I'm very grateful for that."
