Why Rob wants a front row seat when Roosters become rivals

Long the catch cry of State of Origin football, 'mate vs mate' will take on a whole new dimension when the 2026 World Cup pits an array of superstars against one another at the end of an NRL season built around brotherhood and camaraderie.

After going into battle side by side for eight months in pursuit of a premiership, the players will swap club colours for national jerseys and go their separate ways to chase World Cup glory.

For Roosters young gun Rob Toia, the prosect of locking horns with clubmate Victor Radley when England and Tonga collide at HBF Park in Perth brings a cheeky smile to his face.

"With most of those [England] players coming from Super League it will be good to test ourselves against them - they play a fairly brutal style of footy," Toia said.

"They will want to prove a point after the Ashes and their fan support will be huge.

"Playing against Radley and Billy Smith if he gets a call-up, I'd love to go head-to-head with him.

"It would be pretty weird seeing Rads crush on Daniel Tupou... I'm not sure Rads would do it because everyone loves 'Toopy'."

At just 21, Toia is still pinching himself after a breakout 2025 season that saw him make his NRL debut for the Roosters in Round 1 before earning his first Origin cap and helping the Maroons to a series victory.

After being named Dally M rookie of the year in grand final week he put the icing on the cake with a Test debut for Tonga in the Pacific Championships, part of a star-studded backline that included Isaiya Katoa, Isaiah Iongi, Paul Alamoti and Tupou.

Back-to-back losses to Samoa and New Zealand proved a tough pill to swallow but nothing could take away from the pride Toia felt as he donned the red jersey and stood arm in arm with his Tonga brothers.

"Being in the Tonga camp was a beautiful experience," he said.

"It was a touching moment being able to reconnect with my Tongan heritage because having spent most of my life in Australia I have been a bit distant from my Tongan side.

"Before the actual campaign started we got the chance to go back to Tonga and be amongst the people and it was the best thing ever and I am just so grateful for it.

"You feel it as soon as you walk into the airport, there’s MMT [Mate Ma'a Tonga] signs all over and pictures of the boys. There was so much love for the boys."

After opening their World Cup campaign against England, the Tongan side heads to Sydney to play Lebanon for a blockbuster showdown with Samoa on November 1 at CommBank Stadium.

The Tonga-Samoa clash at Suncorp Stadium was a highlight of the recent Pacific Championships and the emotion will again be off the scale when they meet on the world stage next year.

"It's so good to see Tonga and Samoa rising and with all the big names switch allegiances it makes for a better World Cup," said Toia.

"From the boys’ perspective it wasn’t really ideal how we played [against Samoa in Brisbane] and a lot of emotions are still there.

"We have a lot of things to prove and I can’t wait for next year."

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