One of them grew up in a Samoan village and didn't play a game of footy until he was 17. The other is a former reserve grade journeyman. Together, they're keeping the Roosters alive in 2023.
"I just had to bring that to first grade and now I'm doing that I feel comfortable and happy.
But that doesn't mean he's forgotten about the journey along the way. That's why he still goes down to NADO when he can to check in with his old friends. Born in Auckland, Pauga's family moved to Samoa when he was still a toddler and lived there for ten years on the main island, Upolu, before returning to New Zealand.
From there, Pauga spent time in the Warriors system before moving to Brisbane. The pandemic threw his Queensland Cup plans into chaos, so he kept unloading those containers, put up with the sore back that came with it and had a run around in park footy with some of his mates from back home who'd also moved across the ditch."The local footy was still going and all the boys wanted to have a jam and we ended up winning the comp.