Tommy Talau hopes at least one Sydney Roosters star will be happy to see a Manly victory in their NRL semi-final.
That’s not because a rival has jumped ship, but because Talau’s partner Jess Sergis has promised she will be on his side at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Jillaroos’ Test centre Sergis is a star in her own right, but is currently missing the Roosters’ run to the NRLW finals with a serious knee injury.
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But on Saturday night, Talau expects her to be cheering him on.
“I’d like to think she is there supporting me,” Talau told AAP.
“Obviously, she is a Rooster, but she says she’s supporting me. I hope she is.
“I’ll have to give her a Manly jersey and see if she wears it. I don’t know if the Roosters would be too happy about that.
“There’ll be no Manly colours unfortunately, but she’ll be cheering for me.”
Talau has made a habit of testing family allegiances in his first finals series.
Last week’s 24-22 win over Canterbury came against the club his father Willie played 101 games for, including the 1998 grand final.
But at age 24, Tommy is clearly forging his own path.
In his first season at Manly, Talau is making a clear case to be labelled the NRL’s most improved in 2024.
After years of injuries at Wests Tigers, the winger has become one of Manly’s most reliable players in defence and a more-than-solid finisher with ball in hand.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Talau said.
“I tried to work my butt off in the pre-season to get ready for round one and try and cement a spot. But unfortunately it didn’t happen.
“I was lucky enough to get a crack early on in the year. And then it’s just been up from there, which is really good.”
Talau, though, is well aware there are things that must improve before Saturday.
The elimination-final win over Canterbury came despite the rare occurrence of both he and fellow Manly winger Lehi Hopoate failing to register 100 running metres.
The duo were part of a Manly back five that struggled for yardage early in sets, as the Bulldogs pack did a job on Manly and dominated the game territorially.
The Sea Eagles have put a focus on having more men back in the attacking line quicker, giving them more options in early in sets.
“The Bulldogs, their line speed was great,” Talau said.
“We’ve just got to try and really fill up the field, because we have threats all over the field.
“If we have a good line and present a good attack, the defence is going to find it hard to narrow in and pressure our attack.
“A lot of teams after getting tired and fatigue sets in, just go one out. We want to fill up the field and stick to our brand of footy.”
