Once former teammates, Brian To'o and Haumole Olakau'atu will run out onto the field together again, but this time it will be for the NSW Blues in front of a sold-out crowd at Accor Stadium
Brian To'o has a strong and close relationship with most of the NSW Blues team due to his links at club level with the Penrith Panthers, Samoa and previously playing for the Blues.
The three-time Panthers winger has previously played with 15 members of the 18-man squad at different levels such as James Tedesco (NSW Blues), Jarome Luai (Panthers, NSW and Samoa) and Spencer Leniu (Panthers and Samoa).
However many may be surprised to believe that one of his earliest relationships is neither Jarome Luai nor Stephen Crichton but instead Manly Sea Eagles second-rower Haumole Olakau'atu who will make his Origin debut in less than two days.
The history between the two players goes all the way back to the Under-13s level when they played together for the Wentworthville Magpies alongside former NRL player Manase Fainu.
Speaking ahead of the match on Wednesday, Zero Tackleย spoke to both Brian To'o and Haumole Olakau'atu about their shared history that goes back over a decade, in which they revealed that they played on the same edge with To'o in the centres and Olakau'atu on the wing.
"At Wentworthville Magpies, me and Haumole played side by side and ended up winning a comp together, so that was pretty crazy,"ย To'o toldย Zero Tackle.
"He started off as a winger, but just to see him where he's at now doing what he does best for not only his family but for Manly as well at club land...and to play alongside him once again is pretty crazy.
"We message each other every once in a while. I was playing centre and he was my winger.
"Haumole was that kind of player where he would never show up at training but come game day he would just carve up like he was there from the very beginning.
"He would rock up to game day, look half tired, only got his boots in his hand, casual clothes (but) just absolutely carve up like score hattricks almost every game.
"I'm really proud to see where he's at now and I can't wait to see him do his thing next Wednesday"
As he gets ready to make his NSW Blues debut, Olakau'atu has had an incredible journey to this moment which saw him beat the odds to play in the NRL and now at the representative level.
First discovered in a car park, he has become one of the elite forwards of the NRL competition and is notably known as one of the most hard-hitting defenders and elite forward ball-runners.
Olakau'atu also spoke about his relationship with teammate Brian To'o as he commented that he looked forward to being "able to run on the same field with him again".
"It was good. He's still the same, that small stocky player, winger," Olakau'atu said on To'o.
"It's got to be able to run on the same field with him again in the same colours.
"I was actually the winger and he was the centre but obviously I got too big and too slow to be winger."
Brian To'o, Haumole Olakau'atu and the NSW Blues will take on the Queensland Maroons on Wednesday night at Accor Stadium.
