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Cronulla winger Ronaldo Mulitalo has opened up on the sacrifice he made as a teenager to move away from his family to chase his NRL dream.
The speedster took the leap of faith to move from New Zealand to Australia in 2013. The decision paid off six years later when Mulitalo made his NRL debut in 2019 but it hasn't been an easy journey.
Now, as the Sharks prepare to face the Raiders during Multicultural Round, the winger revealed the pain of missing his family.
"Committing to a life here and leaving my family was a really hard decision," Mulitalo said. "I've been away from home since I was 16 and I'm 26 this year.
"It's not easy seeing the family grow old. Mum's not getting any younger, my baby sister's coming into her teenage years and now my older brothers are getting older as well so I'm missing out on so much of their lives.
"It's not an easy choice but to be able to provide for all of them, it does become easier when you think about what there is to lose."
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Ronaldo Mulitalo's 2024 try-scoring season
Born in Auckland, Mulitalo grew up in New Zealand before moving to Queensland to enter the Ipswich Jets pathway as a teenager.
The 25-year-old also has Samoan and American Samoan heritage and has represented the Kiwis, Samoa and USA at the international level.
Mulitalo's journey to the NRL is not unique, with many players relocating to Australia to chase their rugby league dream.
The trend has contributed to an increasingly diverse competition, with Australia's multicultural society reflected throughout the sport.
Match: Raiders v Sharks
Round 5 -
home Team
Raiders
8th Position
away Team
Sharks
11th Position
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
For Mulitalo, every match is an opportunity to do his family and his heritage proud but Multicultural Round carries added meaning.
"It's really important for my family," he said. "I've left my family to come and pursue this dream so to be able to represent them this week and have them feel like they're right there is important.
"It's important for my grandparents and my parents back home to see me and know the culture is still running strong."
While he represented America and Samoa early in his career, Mulitalo has become a regular in the Kiwis line up since his debut in 2022.
Injury, however, forced him to miss last year's Pacific Championships and he's eager to return to the international arena at the end of this season.
With Australia playing England in an Ashes series, the tournament is set to be contested between New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga.
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Ronaldo Mulitalo Try
The Tonga v Samoa clash in particular is already generating buzz and while he could choose to represent Samoa, Mulitalo said his heart lies with the Kiwis.
"You wouldn't close the door on it but I've spoken to [NZ coach Stacey Jones] and my commitment is to the Kiwis," he said. "What they have done for me and my family, I'm a loyal person and when I give you my word, I give you my word.
"I need to get picked first but if I do get picked at the end of the year for the Kiwis, I'll put my foot forward for that."
