On the path to redemption

Tajhon Mailata doesn't want to be the guy who could have made it. Natural talent came easy growing up in Australia for the Auckland-born kid with a Samoan father and a Maori mother – a genetic windfall when it comes to rugby.

Big, fast and skilful, he breezed through the grades and into the Australian secondary schools, under-19s and under-21s before he headed back "home" to Bay of Plenty for a season in the NPC.

That was in 2006. Fast forward four years and the rugby resume has a fairly large gap.

"To be honest, I just went down the wrong path," the 24-year-old said this week. "I signed with the [Western] Force pretty much straight out of school and everything was going good.

"I went over to Bay of Plenty and played a year over there, but I didn't play much and was injured a lot and I sort of started going down the wrong path.

"I had to go back to Mum and Dad for a bit of enlightenment, I guess you could say, a bit of growing up."

So for two years Mailata worked for his dad's distribution company in Perth, stayed out of trouble and put rugby on the back burner until his dad suggested he should give it another crack.

"He sort of said, `Son, it's time for you to go back out there and get your rugby career back on track."'

He shunned an offer from Queensland rugby and headed back to Bay of Plenty to try to kick-start his comeback.

"I enjoyed playing NPC when I did at Bay of Plenty. I like the style of running rugby over here in New Zealand, so I told Dad, `I'm heading back to New Zealand.' He was a bit iffy at first, but I said I wanted to start over.

"I went to Bay of Plenty because it was the only place I pretty much knew, but then Andre [Bell] gave me a call and said, `Do you want to come down here and take your chances and see how you go?"'

Bell, now the Lions head coach, had selected Mailata during his stint at Bay of Plenty and took a punt, inviting him to the capital on a trial basis.

"Taj" will make his Wellington debut at centre against Manawatu tomorrow, but he's the first to admit it took him longer than expected to regain the edge he had before his break.

"It takes a while adapting to the weather coming from 40 degrees to about 4 degrees," he laughed. "The training's been awesome, the trainers have been quite thorough on what I need to work on.

"They pretty much put me straight on a conditioning programme and I've trimmed down to the point I feel fitter and faster than I've ever been. The last couple of weeks I've lost six or seven kilos.

"When I did play [for MSP] I know it wasn't that good. I was trying to get used to the conditions ... the pouring rain. I've just focused on getting in shape.

"I went and played Canterbury in the pre-season and since then I've put my head down and focused on my fitness and now I've got this shot.

"I'm still adapting to the rest of the players. I'm a bit shy getting used to all the guys, but they've been really helpful."

At 185cm and about 100kg he's a big unit and, though he has no doubt where he's from, he's less certain about his unique first name.

"Dad's Samoan, born in Auckland, and Mum's Maori, she's from Turangi. I was born in Auckland and went to primary till eight, but was pretty much raised in Aussie.

"I don't know if I can answer that [where my name comes from].

"I've asked Mum and she's given a range of reasons. She said she just made it up ... she was reading through a few books and came across a name she liked."

If all goes well it could become a name with which Wellington rugby fans become more familiar.

HOW THEY LINE UP: Wellington: Apoua Stewart, Julian Savea, Tajhon Mailata, Shaun Treeby, Alapati Leiua, Fa'atonu Fili, Alby Mathewson, Rodney So'oialo, Scott Fuglistaller, Victor Vito, Mark Reddish, Jeremy Thrush, John Schwalger, Ged Robinson, Jacob Ellison. Reserves: Motu Matu'u, David Te Moana, Faifili Levave, Dean Brunsdon, Ruki Tipuna, Lima Sopoaga, Buxton Popoalii. Manawatu: Craig Clare, Shannon Paku, Hadleigh Parkes, Francis Bryant, Lote Raikabula, Isaac Thompson, Aaron Smith, Hamish Gosling, Callum Gibbins, Doug Tietjens, Fraser Stone, Michael Fitzgerald, Karl Haitana, Rob Foreman, Grant Polson. Reserves: Sean O'Connor, Shane Kingsland, Reece Robinson, James Oliver, Karl Bryson, Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Casey Stone.

- © Fairfax NZ News