Tasi trio dream of Origin glory

Roosters player Lama Tasi (middle) with his brothers Tautalatasi and Sani at their Goodna home.

Sarah Harvey

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• Home is where the heart is

IMAGINE a Queensland State of Origin back row all from Ipswich, or, even better, all from Goodna, or, better still, all from the same family.

For three Ipswich footballing brothers that would be the stuff dreams are made of.

The Tasi boys, Lama, 21, Tautalatasi, 17, and Sani, 15, know it's just a dream at the moment but who knows what the future holds?

A lot would have to happen before Maroons' fans can chant "Tasi, Tasi, Tasi, Oi, Oi, Oi" but the first few pieces of the puzzle are already in place.

Lama, the hulking 104kg lock for the Sydney Roosters, will attend his first emerging Origin camp in Brisbane later this month, after impressing in his first NRL season in the top grade.

Tautalatasi is also heading to Sydney this month to trial with the Roosters SG Ball squad, after spending much of his junior football focusing on rugby union at Ipswich Grammar.

Sani, who will start his second season with the Ipswich Jets Mal Meninga Cup team this year, is also on the Roosters' books and would love to line up with his two brothers at the Roosters first.

"It would be a great feeling just to wake up and be able to go to training as three brothers," Sani said.

The 15-year-old, who will begin year 11 at Ipswich Grammar School this year, said he was determined to join his brother in Sydney, after struggling to adjust when oldest brother Lama left the family home.

"Yeah, it was really difficult," Sani said.

"When we had that last time together with him it was really hard to see him go.

"There was no one to talk to and get some advice off.

"There was someone missing at the table."

The Origin dream, however, was almost over before it began.

With the family moving to Australia from Auckland 17 years ago, Lama was faced recently with a decision about who to commit to for his representative football.

After playing for the Kiwi under-20 side in 2010, the hard-hitting back-rower had to make a choice between committing to a Kiwi jersey of following his Queensland dream.

Queensland and Australia eventually won the battle and Tautalatasi said his brother made the right decision, one that he hoped to be able to follow.

"It was a great move, because we have all started off playing here in Queensland," he said.

"We sat down as a family and talked about New Zealand but we thought Australia was the better pick because we've grown up here all our lives.

It might still be a long shot that all three brothers will have the talent, the drive and the luck to eventually represent the Maroons.

For the Tasi brothers though, it's simply about daring to dream.