Sydney RoostersNRL premiership winner Robert Toia has confirmed he will represent Tonga, rather than Australia, at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
The star centre is able to represent both Tonga and the Kangaroos, and his allegiance has been a mystery for the entirety of the year, with players able to switch back and forth once per year between a Tier 1 and Tier 2 team under international rugby league rules.
The 22-year-old, who has played each of the last two State of Origin series for Queensland, debuted for Tonga last year, and told AAP after the Sydney Roosters' winning grand final effort that he would represent the men in red this year.
“I just thought of missing out on being a part of a special team, and (Tonga) has what it takes to win the World Cup,” Toia told AAP.
“I'd be stupid to not want to be a part of it.
"I back myself to be in contention to play for Australia in any other year.
"I'd still love to achieve that Australian dream but I feel like I've still got so much footy to play and I still back myself to put myself in contention in any other year."
Toia has had an exceptional finals series, with the star centre again a big part of the Roosters' outfit during Sunday night's narrow one-point win over the Knights in the decider.
The star centre has played 46 games for the Sydney Roosters since debuting last year, with the whirlwind start to his career showing no sign of slowing down.
The Kangaroos do have some depth issues in the outside backs heading into the tournament, with Kevin Walters expressing confidence as little as a week ago that Toia would play for the Kangaroos.
Instead, he will now likely look to the likes of Bradman Best and Kotoni Staggs to fill the void in the centres, with the team to be named at 11am (AEDT) on Monday morning.
