Fast track to 100 for Koula

It’s been a rapid rise over the past few years for Tolu Koula who will play his 100th NRL game on Friday night.

The milestone couldn’t have been achieved a whole lot quicker for the 23-year-old speedster, who has missed only a handful of games since making his first-grade debut in 2022.

That he’s got here in a hurry should come as no surprise. It’s how the Koulas roll.

As the son of two Olympians, Tolu was born to run - briskly.

His father, Tolutau Koula Snr, competed for Tonga in the 100m sprint at three Olympics, the last of which was in Sydney in 2000.  His personal best is 10.56 seconds.

Tolu’s mum, Ana, represented Tonga at two Olympics, competing in the long jump in Atlanta in 1996, and the 100m hurdles in Sydney.

Tolu too could have chosen to pursue the Olympic dream like his parents did but decided to shoot for the NRL instead.

“To be honest, from a young age I kind of always knew that I was going to play footy,” Tolu said.

My parents backed me fully to do whatever I wanted to do and whatever made me happy.  

Tolu Koula

“When I did tell them that I was going to pursue a career in footy, they backed me all the way. They're big footy fans themselves.”

While two hundredths of a second ‘slower’ than his dad’s personal best, Tolu’s 10.58 for the 100m sprint, which he set in 2019 while at Newington College, is still the record for GPS schools in New South Wales.

That express pace has come in handy plenty of times over the past few years, helping Tolu score 47 tries in 99 games. 

One of his most spectacular, at least in the eyes of the author of this yarn, was his third minute try in Manly’s Magic Round win over the Wests Tigers this season where he beat five defenders from about 60 metres out.

“Yeah, I think it was on the first tackle, and they shanked their kick and I remember Brooksy caught it, and he just gave it straight to me,” he recalls.

“I saw a bit of space and took advantage of it. I was just happy to do my part for the team. It was pretty cool.”

When asked if he had a favourite among the 47 tries that he’s scored, Tolu was quick to point it out.

“Yeah, the try I scored in my first finals game against the Bulldogs in 2024 is probably the best.

“I still remember that day, that try kind of set the game up. It was a crazy experience.”

Quite a few of those who were alongside Tolu when he made his debut as a 19-year-old against the Panthers four years ago, are still his teammates.

Tom and Jake Trbojevic were in their eighth and ninth seasons respectively, while others in the team that day included Gaz, Saaby, Smole, Bully, and Nella.

The five-eighth in Tolu’s debut game is now his coach.

“I didn't play too long in my debut, but I remember coming on at left centre and Foz was the half,’ Tolu said.

It’s pretty crazy nowadays that he’s my coach but it's really special that I got to share the field with Foz in my debut.

Tolu Koula

Koula is in line to become the 75th player to hit triple figures for games played for Manly, after becoming the 40th Manly player to represent New South Wales in State of Origin.

His call-up to the Blues for this year’s Origin series rewarded consistently strong performances over the past two seasons.  Line breaks, try assists and tackle busts aside, Tolu has crossed for 26 tries from his past 37 games.