Once seen as 'The Next Big Thing' at the North Queensland Cowboys, Enari Tuala has been destined for success since a young age, but has failed to reach his potential.
An Under-16s and Under-18s Queensland star growing up, in 2018, Tuala crossed the line for a double and was one of the best performers for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis.
But since that day, seven years ago, he has failed to reach the heights of his teammates in that squad, which has seen 10 of them play State of Origin football, including Corey Allan, Gehamat Shibasaki, Kotoni Staggs and Zac Lomax.
However, the Canterbury Bulldogs outside back now gets the chance to prove himself on the biggest stage as he prepares to face the Melbourne Storm to kick off the 2025 NRL Finals series.
"I've played finals in the past but haven't made it past the first week, so that's the aim and taking it game by game," Tuala told Zero Tackle.
Learning from Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott, Tuala was seen as a key piece of the club's future back-line, but he admitted that he failed to live up to expectations during his tenure at the Cowboys.
Playing only 18 matches - and scoring two tries - across three seasons, he admitted that he was unable to find the right mindset, which saw him spend most of his time in reserve-grade.
"As a young kid, when you make those teams, you head in the right direction, but once you get to the NRL, you've got to stay professional and keep training hard and keep that good mindset," he said.
Joining the Bulldogs this year after stints with the Cowboys and Newcastle Knights, his decision was purely based on the direction that they are heading in under coach Cameron Ciraldo, GM of Football Phil Gould and skipper Stephen Crichton.
"I saw the Bulldogs were moving in the right direction, and I thought I could improve as a player here, and I've learned a lot since I've been here," Tuala said.
"One thing I've noticed here is that the fans are crazy. They have a big fan base and they'll turn up for us every week."
Embracing the challenge against Melbourne on Friday night, Tuala has also backed roommate Jethro Rinakama to perform if he is granted the opportunity to take the field.
The Under-19s NSW Blues representative and Blake Wilson are currently named on the wing, but Jacob Kiraz is listed among the reserves and is set to replace one of them following an early return from injury.
Debuting in Round 19, Rinakama has featured on four occasions in first grade in this year's campaign, while Wilson has played six times but hasn't been since Round 15.
"I was his roomy when he debuted, and I kept asking him if he was nervous, and he wasn't even nervous," Tuala said on Rinakama.
"I was bloody nervous and couldn't even sleep, but it's crazy. He handled himself well, and he's like that off the field, too. He's pretty tall. I always forget how young he is.
"We have that next man up mentality, so whoever puts on the jersey knows they need to do their jobs."
