Having your contract torn up before you’ve played a single game of NRL would crush the ambitions of most young players—but not Addin Fonua-Blake.
The imposing Cronulla front-rower will play his 200th NRL match this Friday night when the Sharks host the Sydney Roosters, and the 13-time Tongan international is ‘pinching himself’.
“I’m extremely grateful that I get this opportunity, not many people do,” Fonua-Blake said earlier this week.
“There’s been ups and downs, but everyone goes through that in their career and I’m just thankful to the Sharks, and also my past coaches and all the players I’ve played with.”
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“Thinking back now, I was grateful to get one (NRL game), I’m sort of pinching myself,” he continued.
Now in his tenth NRL season, Fonua-Blake admits he didn’t always think he’d reach this weekend’s milestone.
“Sometimes it gets hard and you feel like 200 games might not come along, but I’m blessed that I’ve made it this far.”
“I’m looking forward to getting out there and representing my last name and my club well.”
Asked to name a highlight from his first 199 games, Fonua-Blake wasn’t entirely sure before adding a wry observation of a career that’s also seen its share of on-field controversy.
“There’s nothing (that stands out) off the top of my head, maybe a few send-offs!”
He may be nearly 30, but Fonua-Blake is showing no sign of slowing down as he leads the NRL for post contact metres in 2025 and also sits fifth for total run metres.
A career of ‘ups and downs’
After featuring in the lower grades for both South Sydney and Parramatta as a teenager, Fonua-Blake signed with St. George Illawarra in 2013.
But just as his NRL career looked set to take off, the then 19-year-old was stood down following a domestic violence-related incident, before having his Dragons contract terminated in June 2015.
After completing a period of off-field counselling, Fonua-Blake was thrown a contract lifeline by Manly where he made his first-grade debut in Round 7 of 2016.
After playing 97 games for the Sea Eagles he was released to link with the New Zealand Warriors where he stayed for four seasons, before joining Craig Fitzgibbon and the Sharks at the start of 2025.
In arguably the darkest moment of his playing career, Fonua-Blake was sent off in Round 8 of 2020—and subsequently fined $20,000—after launching a tirade of verbal abuse against referee Grant Atkins after the full-time siren at Brookvale.
Fonua-Blake has scored 36 tries in his 199 games to date, including four with the Sharks in 2025.