Deregistered NRL player Talatau Amone believes he'll "come back stronger mentally and physically" from his time away from the NRL.
Amone was cut from the league indefinitely after being charged with Intimidation and Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm from an incident in late 2022 involving a hammer.
The 21-year-old was sentenced to two years imprisonment by way of an intensive corrections order and is required to cover 300 hours of community service.
The charge also saw the NRL move to deregister his licence from the competition, a decision that will likely see the young playmaker miss the entire 2024 season, and potentially further.
But in the wake of the punishment, Amone has looked to focus on the positives that could come with a year away from the elite level.
Speaking toย The Sydney Morning Herald,ย the former Dragons half said the ban will give him a chance to focus on his mental well-being and health.
โIt was tough at the start, getting the news that I won't be able to play this year. When I first got the news it rocked me a bit, I just didn't know what to doโ Amone told the publication of his deregistration.
โFooty is all I've done my whole life. So getting that news, knowing that I'm not allowed to play the sport I love and the thing that I love to do, it rocked me a bit and it took me a while to get over it.
โI'll take it as a little blessing in disguise and now I can just work on myself mentally and physically, be able to train every day and just focus on my mental well-being. I'm still young, I haven't scratched the surface yet in my rugby league career.
โI'm ready to come back from this and show everyone what I've really got. I haven't really reached my potential yet and I just can't wait to go out there and show everyone my best. I have the right support system around, I've got my family, I've got close friends. They got me through it and there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
โI realised that and I know when I come back, it will make me a better player. I'll come back stronger mentally and physically.โ
Amone played 54 games for St George Illawarra across three seasons with the club, making his debut in 2021 before featuring in a career-high 24 games the year after.
A move to the Illawarra Rugby League could be on the cards for 2024 if a request to play with the Western Suburbs Red Devils is approved by the NRL.
The Tonga representative hopes "this little setback" can put him on course to come back "10 times stronger" in his hopeful return.
โThis little setback, it's made for a bigger comeback. It affected me a bit but now I can see the big picture, that once I do come back, it will disappear, it will make me stronger mentally and physically,โ he added.
โI feel like I'm gonna come back 10 times stronger and better than I was.
โThat's what I'm most excited about coming back, proving a lot of haters and doubters wrong and proving my loved ones, my family and myself right."
