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The Sharks winger has proven to be one of the NRL’s nice guys yet again.
SCOTT PRYDE
EDITOR | AUGUST 29, 2024 - 2:33PM
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Cronulla Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo has been heaped with praise for a roadside act in aiding a member of the public who suffered a breakdown.
Zero Tackle have learned Mulitalo stopped to help after the clutch in a Helensburgh man's car dropped on Wednesday evening in the southern Sydney suburb of Engadine.
Seeing the man - whose name is Don - pulled over on the side of the road, Mulitalo also pulled over to offer assistance.
It has been revealed to this publication that the star Cronulla Sharks winger offered to drive the man home after the breakdown but was told he was waiting for a tow truck.
It has also been revealed that Mulitalo later drove back to the site of the breakdown to ensure the man had been picked up by the tow truck and contacted the family via text message to inform them the incident had been cleared and that Don must have been on his way home.
It's just the latest in a string of acts for Mulitalo that have had him labelled one of the NRL's most genuine players.
From humble beginnings, Mulitalo revealed to Sharks media ahead of his 100th game in 2021 that he had grown up in a South Auckland garage with few belongings after he, his mother and three brothers became victims of domestic violence.
"South Auckland is a bit of a spot where it's hard, but my mum was the backbone of it all, held us together, taught me good values. It's just inspiring," he said at the time.
Mulitalo has since become known around the game for his work with the youth and homeless, winning the Ken Stephens Memorial award in 2021.
He has become an ambassador for Stepping Stone House, an organisation that provides housing for off-the-street youth, with CEO Jason Juretic - who also housed Mulitalo when he first moved to Australia at the age of 16 - explaining the level Mulitalo's commitment to helping went to.
"He said his dream in life was if he ever became successful, he wanted to use that platform to help others," Juretic told the ABC in 2021 after Mulitalo won the Ken Stephens Memorial Award.
"He took home a very small income as a junior development player. On his own, he'd go into the city, buy food and hand it out to people living on the street. He'd take four mates, and he'd spend all his money, he did that off his own bat."
Mulitalo has also won faith for his comments on several other public issues, including the Manly Sea Eagles 2022 pride jersey debacle and his comments at times holding sports media organisations to account around issues of player welfare.
