'Best I've seen': Toia's rise from rugby gun to Maroons

West Australian

19-05-2025

Billy Slater has full faith in "world-class" debutant Queensland centre Robert Toia, and his legacy at rugby union powerhouse Nudgee College has certainly left an indelible mark.
"I've been here 11 years and he's the best I've seen," Nudgee director of rugby Sean Graham told AAP of the former First XV outside centre.
The Sydney Roosters 20-year-old will play for the Maroons in the State of Origin series opener after just 10 NRL games where his right-foot step, strength, balance and speed have been electric.
Slater had no hesitation throwing Toia into the Origin cauldron in his preferred centre position rather than on the wing.
"Although playing on the centres is man-on-man out there, it is a system. He is a great system player and has some good strengths (NSW) need to defend as well," Slater said.
"Hopefully he is going to get some ball in some good situations and be pretty dangerous himself. I think he is a world-class centre."
Toia is likely to have to mark Latrell Mitchell on debut.
"I've looked up to him,'' Toia said. "He's an unbelievable player ... very strong and he's got it all, but I'm ready to do my job.''
Toia played rugby union for Nudgee and rugby league for the Redcliffe Dolphins as a youth. His YouTube clips are reminiscent of a young Mal Meninga in his pomp, shrugging defenders off at will.
"Robert just had an unbelievable step and fend. He wasn't worried about the defender in front of him," Graham said.
"He could move the ball in and out of either hand and was light on his feet.
"Then as he progressed through the grades at Nudgee this unbelievable body developed. He looked at a squat rack and got big. It was ridiculous … an absolute specimen and super-athletic."
He was also a budding basketball gun, who Graham said had "a vertical leap where he could nearly dunk from the free-throw line".
Toia has rebounded from two season-ending ACL ruptures and a back injury that kept him out for seven months at school.
Through it all the Roosters, who signed him as a 14-year-old, stuck solid when Toia wondered whether he would ever make it.
"I'd be lying if I was saying there wasn't any doubt, but my family and the club never lost any of their support, which was through the roof," he said.
"I can't thank them enough for their loyalty."
It was why Toia stuck solid and re-signed with the Roosters in Year 12 when his junior club the Dolphins came knocking.
Toia idolised Maroons great Greg Inglis for his "dominance" of Origin, a legacy the young man hopes to emulate. That he is about to do it so soon blew him away.
"It doesn't feel real," he said of the Origin media attention.
Toia is just grateful for the great start Nudgee College gave him, even though he chose a professional career in league.
"I feel like they moulded me as a person and taught me core beliefs and values. I am definitely the man I am today because of them," he said."Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to be an NRL player."