The Warriors' victory over the Cowboys on the Central Coast last night was made all the more special for rookie Eliesa Katoa with his family in Tonga watching him play on TV for the first time.
Katoa, 20, moved to New Zealand from the village of Koulo in the Ha'apai group of islands to chase his rugby dream as a youth.
Switching to rugby league after high school and going on to make his first-grade debut with the Warriors, Katoa earlier this month revealed that his family have "no idea about the NRL."
"I called my mum and told her I'm about to make my debut for the Warriors but in Tonga we don't have any TV or anything like that, so they haven't got any idea about the NRL," he said at the time.
"I told her 'mum, I'm playing NRL' and she's like 'oh cool, just look after yourself son and play your best'.
"She doesn't know it's a big thing, but they're really happy for me."
However, after hearing his story telco Digicel stepped in to gift the Katoa family a TV, and a 12-month subscription to allow them to watch Eliesa, starting with last night's performance against the Cowboys.
Unable to contain their excitement as Eliesa took the field in the number 12 jersey, the Katoa family were treated to a masterclass from the Warriors, running out as 37-26 winners.
To make their night even better, Eliesa ran in to score for one of the Warriors' seven tries.
"We're so proud of him," Katoa's sister Laulata said.
"We thank God that he could give his blessing on him.
"We're so proud of Eliesa."
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