With sport on hold in Tonga, and the OFC Nations Cup, the first stage of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup on the horizon, the squad decamped to Australia so they could train and play their first international matches in three years.
But if the team thought their troubles were over once they touched down on Australian soil, then they were wrong.
It all started on January 15th, a date etched on the memories of every Tongan - it was the day the country was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami.