International eligibility rules continue to make headlines in rugby league.
But while Kevin Walters and the Australian Kangaroos continue to wait on decisions from several of the game’s biggest names, one rapidly-emerging star has explained why the decision was ultimately an easy one to represent Tonga, the land of his father.
Dolphin’s halfback Isaiya Katoa, 21, was born in New Zealand to a Tongan father and a Cook Islander mother—his family then moved to Australian when he was just nine, meaning he’s eligible to represent any one of the four nations.
“It’s a question I was always tossing up when I first started my career, because I can literally play for New Zealand, Australia, Tonga or the Cook Islands,” Katoa explained on The Unscripted Show with Josh Mansour.
“But the thing that got me over the line was seeing my brother (Sione) play for Tonga,” Katoa continued.
“Seeing what it meant to my parents, to my grandparents and then the wider Tongan community, bringing that happiness and joy back to our nation was very special.”
Katoa was invited into the Tongan camp in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup and he quickly knew that was where he wanted to be.
‘When you feel it you just know’
“There was mid-year test in 2022 against the kiwis in New Zealand and I got to be part of that camp, just as a young player to get some experience,” he reflected.
“To be there on the field for that was awesome, the whole stadium was red—and what made it even better was we first sang our national anthem, the crowd was loud and crazy, but because all the Tongan fans lived in New Zealand, they knew the kiwi anthem too, so they all started singing that as well!
“Just being involved in that camp really touched my heart, it’s a feeling I can’t really describe, but when you feel it you just know—and I knew that one day I wanted to play for Tonga.”
Katoa, who has since represented Tonga on nine occasions, stressed his decision to turn his back on chasing New Zealand or Australian selection had nothing to do with results, or money.
“It was purely what I felt at the time—and I still feel it now, I still want to play for Tonga,” he said, before acknowledging being in a somewhat privileged position under the game’s current eligibility rules.
“Obviously with Tonga being a tier two (rugby league) country, I can still represent in State of Origin so I get the best of both worlds—I qualify, so if I can do both, why not?”
Katoa spent time in camp with the NSW Blues in 2025 and seems destined to make his Origin debut in coming seasons, not that the Blues are the only other representative team he has his sights set on beyond Tonga.
“I still have aspirations to play for Cook Islands one day,” Katoa revealed.
“I’m half Cook Islander and half Tongan, I’ve always told my mum that one day, I don’t know when, but I do want to represent her, my grandmother and all my Cook Islands family, because I am very close to them as well. They’re two really different countries.”