Dumped Dragons star Talatau Amone wants to make amends and revive his career by coming back “stronger physically and mentally” once his suspension is over after the NRL deregistered him and his contract was torn up.
Amone was found guilty last month on a number of charges including intimidation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm after an incident with a tradesman.
The 21-year-old was given a two-year intensive corrections order, forced to do 300 hours of community service and also fined.
The NRL then deregistered Amone’s contract, reportedly worth $500,000 a season, and the rising St George Illawarra star has told The Sydney Morning Herald that he has been struggling to cope with the fact that his NRL dream has been taken away from him.
“It was tough at the start, getting the news that I won’t be able to play this year,” Amone told the SMH. “When I first got the news it rocked me a bit, I just didn’t know what to do.
“Footy is all I’ve done my whole life. So getting that news, knowing that I’m not allowed to play the sport I love and the thing that I love to do, it rocked me a bit and it took me a while to get over it.
“I realised that and I know when I come back, it will make me a better player. I’ll come back stronger mentally and physically.”
Amone claimed that he will learn from his mistakes and rebuild his career.
“Now I can see the big picture, that once I do come back, it will disappear, it will make me stronger mentally and physically. That’s what I’m most excited about coming back, proving a lot of haters and doubters wrong and proving my loved ones, my family and myself right,” he said.
“I feel like you can go two ways with it – you can sit down and feel sorry for yourself and sook about or you can just deal with it and keep going. That’s what I’m doing. They can knock me down 100 times, I’ll get up 101 times. That’s how it is, that’s how I was raised. I’m ready for whatever.”
The promising young playmaker had played 54 NRL games with St George Illawarra and has been capped by Tonga.
He even labelled his situation as a “blessing in disguise”.
Junior Amone. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
“The biggest learning for me is not to take anything for granted. You don’t realise how important it is to you until you actually lose it.
“Now I realise how much I actually loved training every day, loved taking that field every week. I know once I get that back, I’m gonna grab it with two hands and cherish it. I feel like I’m gonna come back 10 times stronger and better than I was. It is a blessing in disguise for myself.”
With Amone ineligible for the upcoming season, the Dragons signed Warriors playmaker Ronald Volkman to boost their halves depth after fellow playmaker Jayden Sullivan had been allowed to join the Wests Tigers.
But the Volkman contract was voided after it was revealed he had been carrying a serious shoulder injury when he was released by the Warriors.
Kyle Flanagan is set to inherit Amone’s five-eighth role alongside captain Ben Hunt when his father, Shane Flanagan, begins his coaching tenure at St George Illawarra this season.
Horses for Courses
Roar Rookie
Man, this guy is a grade A tool. Why is he talking about 'getting knocked down' and 'proving the haters wrong'? Why does it sound like he thinks he got banned because people don't like him and not because he attacked someone with a hammer?
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Gould/Ciraldo/Bulldogs problem 2025
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
The courts would also agree if the NRL's policy allowed players to continue playing. They're not agreeing with the policy , just the right to enact it.
blacktown leagues
Roar Rookie
My mistake thought the topic was Taylan May
Robbo
Roar Rookie
Like any club I imagine they are very careful about assessing that.
Robbo
Roar Rookie
Fair comment
mushi
Roar Guru
I disagree, so do the courts
mushi
Roar Guru
Souths GF win had one.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
With Stewart I distinctly remember the most vociferous pitchfork wielding villager was one Paul Kent who openly speculated about guilt. Watching that hack go through his own dramas in the last few months has delivered much schadenfreude at Brooky. Karma
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
He stands little chance of getting a work visa for the UK, Blink. Firstly, he's on a corrections order so he's banned from leaving the country for two years. Secondly, he's got a conviction on his record and his a violent criminal. The UK tends not to hand out work visas to convicted violent criminals. He's gonna need to wait at least 5 years before any visa application stops being automatically denied and can apply for special consideration. He deserves to be where he is right now. But the Dragons will probably welcome him back. They love a convict.
blacktown leagues
Roar Rookie
He hasn't won a GF mushi he's missed the last two thru injury.I think the footy gods have sorted it out.
blacktown leagues
Roar Rookie
Well, no you got that wrong he was injured in week 1 of finals against eels missed prelim and gf suspension served he played against St Helens and got injured and missed the season .His suspension is done and dusted and was so in 22.You mightn’t like it but that’s the way it works. The way it has worked out he has missed two Premiership rings I think justice has been done. And just to clarify I’m not defending the bloke I also believe it was handled poorly.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
Not entirely. He was found not guilty on one charge, and mistrialed on the other 5. Twice. So while yes he right remains innocent until proven guilty, and the charges have been dropped it's also perfectly permissible to imply he's not.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
I dont think a cop is hooking into him for no reason knowing full well that there’s CCTV. If everyone was so well behaved there would be no cops there in the 1st place. Suggest something vile and alcohol fuelled came out of his mouth while he was being moved on. Oh that's hilarious. The cops haven't a clue about the presence of cameras. Curtis Scott was arrested by cops wearing body cams and they STILL mistreated him
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
There is no perfect solution , I agree but given the amount of fake allegations over the past 20 odd years against NRL players I still believe the fairer equation is to let them play. The number of fake allegations is a bit of a taboo topic it seems but it can't be ignored.
mushi
Roar Guru
Sure but it's also unfair to have someone watch their abuser win a GF. There is no fair
mushi
Roar Guru
It goes further than just the communication methods. He needs a middling first grade/reserve grade half who had to learn how to read a game. He's probably better suited to teaching others how to play off the half.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Exactly right. Benji the coach is going to have to work very hard at his communication to get across the finer points of playing in the halves. He might be wise to employ someone who teaches communication methods, ie saying, doing/showing, reading, etc I
mushi
Roar Guru
I’ve run thus story into the ground but I’ll kick the dead horse again :happy: Was at a small function in NZ where Grant Fox was the speaker. When it turned to coaching there were three really insightful things but the most relevant here was that it never really occurred to him that others couldn’t see what he saw on the field. Unfortunately what makes most of the great playmates great is a heightened spatial awareness combined with the coordination and athleticism of good players. It wasn’t something they consciously learned so it’s hard to consciously teach it.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Two cops have been charged with assault and Starling cleared . Mud sticks as they say but it doesn't have to. We have a choice to accept the verdict and forget the mud.