For someone who wasn’t in a hurry to play first grade, it sure is hard to wipe the smile off his face.
Smiles come naturally for Onitoni Large, the 19-year-old five-eighth who made his NRL debut off the bench for Manly against the Dragons last Friday night.
Blessed with speed, footwork and great hands, this talented young man is also very humble, polite and patient.
While he didn’t ‘expect’ to make his NRL debut this season, he quietly hoped it might happen.
So, when he got the tap on the shoulder in the 59th minute of the Round 26 match at 4 Pines Park, out came one of the games’ biggest smiles.
“It meant the world to represent my family, to represent this great club, and to be given the opportunity, I was truly honoured and grateful,” said Onitoni.
I was really excited and wanted to do my family proud, and so when the moment came, I couldn't stop smiling.
Onitoni Large Sea Eagle #676
Large, and younger brother Ashton, joined Manly ahead of the 2025 season from the Wests Tigers.
Onitoni moved into Manly’s NRL top 30 squad this season and guided the Sea Eagles to the third week of the finals in the SG Ball Cup.
After several eye-catching performances in the Under 19s, it became a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’ Large would make his NRL debut.
A fractured jaw for Joey Walsh, which followed a season-ending injury to Luke Brooks, made an NRL debut this season, not next season, a distinct possibility.
With Large waiting in the wings, Clayton Faulalo’s two recent outings in the No.6 jersey, vacated by Walsh, have been super impressive.
But when Faulalo was forced off for a HIA against the Dragons, the next man up was Large.
“It’s been a dream of mine to play NRL, but I haven’t been worrying about when it might happen. I guess I was hoping it might happen at the back end of this season.”
"It was more about if I was ready and if Foz and the boys thought I was ready.
"I just wanted to earn their respect and earn my stripes and not just be handed a debut. I definitely wanted to earn the right to debut.”
There was a nice touch when Large first entered the field. He was greeted by Tom Trbojevic, who had made a beeline for the bench as soon as Onitoni’s opportunity arrived.
“Tom just said, ‘let's go at it, let’s go at the contest’,” recalls Onitoni.
It was really special for me that the captain would do that. It was very humbling.
Onitoni Large
“It definitely made me more excited for the challenge.”
Large certainly didn’t look out of place. But how did it feel?
“It went really quick, to be honest. I wish it was a bit longer, I didn't feel really out of place or nervous,” Onitoni said.
“I was just trying to run and showcase my talent and test the line. I felt good and was ready to play more if I had to.”
Pretty safe to say, there will be more.
Congratulations young man. Sea Eagle #676.
