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Message: [QUOTE="Danoz Direct, post: 2719258, member: 8457"] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]CALEB Timu is determined to prove wrong the doubters who warned he was throwing away his rugby league future to pursue his religion.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Timu refused to listen when a Brisbane staffer told him in 2013 that his desire to help the less fortunate through a Mormon mission would spell the end of his sporting career.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Unlike most young men, Timu never viewed rugby league as his only path.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]A Broncos prodigy who earned comparisons to Gorden Tallis as an 18-year-old, Timu saw the NRL as a nice option rather than the only option.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Two and a half years after he left the club to follow his heart, Timu has returned to the Broncos from South Auckland on a two-year NRL deal, determined to prove doubters wrong.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Several NRL players have returned to the code after Mormon missions, with mixed results. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Jordan Rapana has become a standout at Canberra after struggling to make an impact in the years immediately after his mission.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Will Hopoate represented NSW after his mission but is yet to rediscover the form he displayed before he left Manly.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Lagi Setu, who was a Bronco at the time he went on a mission, has bounced around several clubs without making an impact.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]The Broncos are prepared to be patient with Timu. He was a 19-year-old backrower training with the first-grade side when he left for his mission and is still only 21, which is a baby in terms of a forward.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]“I was told if I went on my mission I would never play NRL,” Timu said.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]“The staff had my best interests in terms of football because they wanted me to know that two years out would affect my football, but … my faith was more important.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]“When I left I didn’t have a contract to come back to so I figured I would just start studying and I was OK with that because I didn’t think anyone would want to pick me up.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]“To have this opportunity to play at the Broncos again is amazing and I will make the most of it.”[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Timu was not allowed to watch television during his mission so he missed the Broncos’ golden point heartbreak in the NRL grand final.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]He said the sacrifices he made during the past two years scraped away his selfishness.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]His proudest moments were helping drug abusers overcome their addictions, which was heavy work for a man just out of his teens.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]“The mission was a goal I had since I was young because I wanted to sacrifice to help other people,” Timu said.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]“It taught me to think about others. It changed my outlook on people and I realised everyone has a purpose and I needed to be more selfless.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]“We have restrictions to help us focus. I wasn’t allowed to watch television (and) only was able to email my family once a week and call twice a year.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]“I didn’t watch the grand final until I came back to Australia.”[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]Timu ballooned to 117kg during his mission but already he has shed most of the excess.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Open Sans Regular]His body still needs work, as does his decision-making on the field. He will start the year for Souths Logan and if he impresses could force his way into the NRL side later.[/FONT][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]

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