Unlike some of the other boys in the squad, Andrew Fifita and I didn’t really grow up singing Tongan hymns in our homes. But it was something we wanted to do. We knew how much representing Tonga meant to our families and the country. We didn’t want to mumble our way through the hymns and the national anthem while everyone else was belting them out.

So before the World Cup last year, Andrew and I would go back to our room after training and look up Tongan hymns on YouTube. Then we’d practise signing them together. It was pretty funny. I don’t reckon we’re going to be winning Australian Idol any time soon …

I’ve really enjoyed learning and speaking Tongan in camp. The more you’re surrounded by it, the more you pick up. I’m getting more and more confident speaking it out loud and I’m learning more all the time. I probably need to learn less swear words and more constructive ones, but it’s a start!

Prayers, the Sipi Tau, the Tongan language, himi … there’s a reason to all this. It’s about making sure the players don’t lose their cultural background – that our Tongan heritage is always burning bright.

Before the World Cup last year, Andrew and I would go back to our room after training and look up Tongan hymns on YouTube. Then we’d practise signing them together.

Like me, a lot of the guys were born in Australia and New Zealand to Tongan parents. When you’re living 24-7 in a Western culture, it can be easy to forget where you’re from. Mate Ma’a is as much about keeping our culture alive in our hearts as it is winning games of footy.

You don’t find that too often in sport. It’s pretty special.

We’re scheduled to meet King Tupou VI tonight. I haven’t told mum yet because she’ll be texting me a thousand instructions about what to do and say! She’ll be so excited. Dad will, too.

But the fact we’re meeting the King shows how important this game is to Tonga.

It’s a great honour for all of us.

WHEN A LOSS IS A WIN

I’ve been lucky enough to win a premiership, play Origin and represent the Kangaroos … and I can honestly say that the atmosphere in the Tongan camp is the best I’ve ever experienced in footy.

That isn’t a knock on the other teams. They’re brilliant. It’s just how special Mate Ma’a is.

One of the most emotional moments was in the Auckland dressing rooms after we’d lost to England 20-18 in the World Cup semi-final last year. Jason Taumalolo stood up and gave a speech saying he was staying with Tonga. Everyone went wild. Then Andrew Fifita stood up said he was going to play his whole career with Tonga. Everyone went crazy again. Then, one-by-one, each player got up and gave a speech from the heart and said they would commit to Tonga.

It felt like we’d won the World Cup, not lost a semi-final.

I’ve never played in an atmosphere like that game. All the boys felt the same way. The sea of red. Tongan flags flying everywhere. The King up in the stands. Even James Graham said it was the best atmosphere he’d experienced in his career – and pretty much all the people there were cheering against him!

When most teams lose a game, their supporters pack up pretty quickly and head for the exits. Not the Tongan fans. They stayed back, thousands of them, to sing a himi to the players. I’m getting emotional just thinking about it now and I was bawling my eyes out at the time. I’ve never cried that much after any game I’ve played. It was just a feeling of pride – and we were the losing side.

One-by-one, each player got up and gave a speech from the heart and said they would commit to Tonga. It felt like we’d won the World Cup, not lost a semi-final.

We were carrying the hopes of the Tongan community and it was a weight we all shouldered happily. There was a real pride and passion attached to what we were doing. You think about your family, and all they have sacrificed, and you think about the community, and how they’d do anything for you.

Man …

I’m sure it will be similar when we play the Kangaroos on Saturday. It mightn’t be a World Cup, but it’s still a historic match. The game is already sold out. And the buzz on social media among the Tongan fans is next level.

I can’t wait to perform the Sipi Tau again. In that moment, there’s so much adrenalin pumping through your body. The words are second nature, I don’t even have to think about them, and there’s just this electricity inside you. The trick is not to get lost in it. You still have a game to win.

We want to make a big impression on the footy field. But, more importantly, we want to make our families and supporters proud. Mum texts me all the time to tell me how happy she is I’m representing Tonga. My old man doesn’t say too much – he’s pretty quiet like me – but I know he’s proud too.

That’s what it’s all about.