NRL: Tonga vs Australia national anthems

Tears flowed freely down the faces of the Mate Ma'a Tonga team in an emotional moment as young Lotima Nicholas Pome'e aka General Fiyah performed the Tongan national anthem with 26,000+ Tongan fans.

The Australian side had braced themselves for a sea of red & passionate Tongan supporters but they weren't expecting the level of respect shown them by the crowd when the full stadium launched into the Australian national anthem and sang along with Graham Isa'ako.

Dane Gagai summed up the moment in his post match interview with Fox News “The most amazing moment for me was when the crowd started singing the Australian national anthem”

Man of the match James Tedesco said "It was unbelievable at the start of the game they were all singing the Australian national anthem as well - they just love rugby league and to come out here and support their Tongan nation .... it was pretty special to play against"

Australian Captain Boyd Cordner & Coach Mal Meninga also spoke highly of the crowd and fans in their post match interviews and said it was one of the best game experiences they'd had with the way they were treated by the Tongan people.

Pacific Island cultural respect & humility giving us something all to be proud of.