Whether it's been at centre, second-row or in the middle, Siosifa Talakai has terrorised opponents for 149 NRL games.
About to bring up his 150-game milestone tomorrow against the Rabbitohs, while running out for a club he holds so close to his heart.
“This club has given me everything," a humble Talakai expressed.
"A couple of years ago I was a garbo, and I was playing for Newtown Jets, and no one else gave me a chance but the Sharks.
"This weekend I just want to honour them.
“With myself going away to Perth next year, it just makes it bittersweet, I guess.
"This club has given me everything. They provided for my family and presented me with multiple opportunities to play rep footy as well.
"So yeah, it’s something special. Even better, I get to do it against the old club as well.”
Talakai played 11 games for Souths from 2016 to 2017, before being released by the club. He wouldn't play another NRL game until a lifeline landed him at Cronulla in 2020, where he became one of the most feared ball carriers in the competition, played for New South Wales and represented Tonga on the international stage.
But it was Talakai's time away from the top level that gave him a greater appreciation for the game and a new perspective.
"What we love about Sif is how grateful he is," coach Craig Fitzgibbon shared.
"He’ll tell you how grateful he is that the club gave him a home and a framework to sort himself out.
"He’s so selfless. Like the guy has played in the centres, the backrow, now he plays in the middle for us. He does whatever the team needs him to do."
Tom Hazelton added, “he’s shown how valuable he is to us, and if you’ve been watching how he’s been playing, he’s been leaving everything out there for us."
Talakai takes off for Perth next year, so he doesn't want the 2026 season to end too early but knows they have to take it one game at a time.
“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves. We’re in good stead, but there’s still a lot to improve on, so I guess just sticking to the basics, try and get better at that, and it could take us a long way.”
“We’re all just chasing after it. We’re choosing to make the hard decisions of nailing our prep, making sure that we're all in good nick for the game and just little small details.
"We train under higher pressure situations so when we go into those situations in the game, we’re pretty comfortable.”
They'll again put that mindset to the test tomorrow, when the Sharks host the Rabbitohs at Ocean Protect Stadium.
