'I have no regrets at all': Tumusa notches up 100 Cup games

Tony Tumusa knows that if it wasn’t for his fiancée, Dawn Berryman, he would not be playing his 100th Hostplus Cup game this Saturday.

The two-time premiership-winner will mark the significant milestone in the Norths Devils’ Activate! Queensland Country Week clash against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls at Wondai’s Wondai Sporting Complex.

Over the course of his career, Tumusa has played with four clubs, including Norths, Sunshine Coast Falcons, Central Queensland Capras and Redcliffe Dolphins.

But the star back admits that at one point, he was ready for a break – possibly even prepared to give the game up forever.

Fresh out of an NRL system with the Melbourne Storm and Falcons, Tumusa was given an opportunity to move to Rockhampton to play with the Central Queensland Capras in 2017.

He almost turned it down until Berryman intervened.

“She’s been the backbone to my recovery and my comeback,” Tumusa said.

“She means a lot to me and if it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t be back.

“There was a stage there after my time in the NRL system where I wanted to give up footy. She was the one who told me not to give up and sent me to Rockhampton to go play for the Capras.

“There was an opportunity there. I said no at the start and I just wanted to take a year off.

“But she pulled me aside, told me that I’m going and there’s nothing I can do about it. She booked my flight and sent me. She was pregnant with my first daughter too.

“She saw a lot in me with footy, that’s why I think she sent me there, because she didn’t want me to give up something I could go far in. She said to just give it a go.

“From that, I was able to get a contract with Redcliffe.”

From here Tumusa signed with the Dolphins in 2018 before joining Norths in 2020, where he helped the Devils to back-to-back premierships in 2021 and 2022.

Those grand finals are the obvious standouts as the highlights from his 100 Cup games.

“The back-to-back championships... that was probably the two best years that I’ve had in Cup,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of memories but back-to-back championships would be the highlight of my career.

“My best year form-wise would have been 2016 but 2021 and 2022, because of the culture itself at the club, I got to enjoy my footy again.

“Before 2020, I took footy too serious and I didn’t really have much fun. I felt down in some years but the two years we won the comp, culture-wise it was nothing less than what I wanted to be.

“It’s why I always come back to Norths. It wasn’t because of my form, it was because of the culture of the club and how the club treated me and my family.”

But with the highs come the lows, and as well as that moment where he considered walking from the game altogether, Tumusa has battled a number of injuries over the course of his career.

He said the two that stand out the most in his memory are a torn hamstring in 2016, while playing for the Falcons against the Townsville Blackhawks in a semi-final.

The other is the torn Achilles he suffered in the 2021 Country Week, sidelining him for a lengthy period.

He said with the recovery from both injuries, he struggled with staying focused.

But once again, it was his partner of nine years, Berryman, who stepped up to help him back on his feet and back on the paddock.

The former boxer – who was a former amateur Australian champion - has been facing issues of her own, requiring a surgery to help her feet, but it is an operation that may rule her out of playing sport ever again.

“Because I knew I was out for a whole year, I didn’t really bother taking care of my body,” Tumusa said of his Achilles tear.

“I was just eating and sitting down and I gained too much weight. When I came back I had to work twice as hard as I could have.

“She did a lot for me during that time… she took me to all my appointments, she came to my care when I needed it, she cooked all my food because I couldn’t stand.

“The thing is, she loves sport. She used to be an Australian boxing champ.

“But she’s been told that she has to get surgery which could prevent her from playing sport ever again.

“To see her still be so positive, that keeps me going again. I have an Achilles tear but she probably can’t ever play again. That’s why she’s the backbone to me and my 100 games.”

Outside of Berryman, Tumusa said one of the biggest influences on his career was former Norths coach, Rohan Smith, who was at the helm when the 27-year-old joined the club.

While his family won’t be there for the milestone match out in Wondai, he is forever grateful for their support, especially Berryman for not letting him give up when times were tough.

“I have no regrets at all,” Tumusa said.

“I’m grateful for all the things she’s done for me.

“I want to thank all my family, friends and the ones that have supported throughout my career.

“I give thanks to them and hopefully I do them proud with my 100th game.

“It’s an honour and privilege to play 100 Cup games. There’s a lot of hard work I went through in every single game I’ve been in. It’s good I’ve been acknowledged for playing 100.”