This Samoan superman is the World Cup's greatest comeback story

Fri, 11 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Rabbitohs 10, Knights 20

Sat, 12 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Warriors 16, Dolphins 26

Sat, 12 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Sharks 26, Cowboys 16

Sun, 13 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Panthers 19, Roosters 12

Sat, 19 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Roosters 46, Sharks 10

Sun, 20 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Warriors 10, Knights 12

Fri, 25 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Dolphins 20, Roosters 36

Sun, 27 Sept, 4:00 pm, Final score, Panthers 14, Knights 22

Sun, 4 Oct, 7:30 pm, Final score, Roosters 19, Knights 18

As he prepares to lead his nation into a World Cup semifinal against Australia, sometimes Ronald Volkman still can't believe this is happening.

He'd have settled for one NRL game this year with Parramatta and after what he's been through, that really would have been enough.

But instead the best season of his budding career will continue when he lines up for Samoa against the Kangaroos with a World Cup final berth up for grabs, standing on the shoulders of giants with the whole rugby league world watching.

It still feels more like a fantasy than a reality for the 24-year-old, even as he's living it.

"I didn't see myself playing NRL and I didn't see myself playing for my country, in a World Cup, on the biggest stage," Volkman said.

"I grew up watching this, I'm still pinching myself that I got to get on these fields.

"The players in this team, you look left, you look right, you see guns. It gives you so much confidence in what you can do and that you can take it to the next level."

It has been a long journey. It was only a few years back that Volkman thought his football career was over.

Bad shoulder and hip injuries in 2023 scuppered a move from the Warriors to St George Illawarra the following season, sending Volkman to rock bottom in a full year out of the sport.

The physical pain was such that Volkman could barely move and without the game he loved he lost his way.

He stopped training and put on weight. He didn't know himself and when he was out and about, he'd pull his hood up so nobody would know him.

Mates would reached out to support him, but Volkman often ignored them, trapped in a downward spiral with a heart set on suffering, haunted by football dreams he could barely remember.

At his lowest depths, he leant on the things that mattered most to him.

"A big one for me was my faith. I fell down to that faith, my God, my loved ones, my family and my partner family," Volkman said.

"They were there for me during those tough times and it'd be slack for me not to take the opportunity I've had this year and showcase my talent, not for myself but for my loved ones.

"They've been through it as much as I have."

Volkman is one of eight siblings and Samoan on both sides of the family. Growing up they'd go back to the islands every second year.

His father, Tas, wept tears of joy when his son debuted for the Warriors in 2022 and did so again when Volkman made his rugby league return in a pre-season trial for Parramatta last year.

Volkman did the same during the Samoan anthem on Sunday night but Emeline, Tas's mother, doesn't give as much away.

She still lives in Samoa, in a village called Vaitele Tai in the western outskirts of Apia, where she watched her grandson come on against Tonga and score a key try.

Volkman played the final 27 minutes after Chanel Harris-Tavita strained his hamstring while kicking for goal, sparking a Samoan revival that just fell short despite the Toa outscoring Tonga four tries to three.

"I got rattled in the ribs early and struggled to breathe for about five minutes, but it's so good to be out there with my usos (brothers)," Volkman said.

"The first thing I thought was about Chanel. You never want to see a teammate go down like that and to me the way to honour him, to show respect, was to get on and do a job.

"He did a pretty good job for the majority of the game and it made my job easy."

Volkman's play — the sharp feet, quick hands, a nose for the tryline and a big shot on Tongan backrower Siua Wong — would have been familiar to any Parramatta fans in the record-breaking crowd.

He made his NRL return for the Eels last year and just getting back at all and having his shoulder hold up was a blessing, even if they lost the two games by a combined total of 88-24.

This season, with the highly-rated Jonah Pezet arriving for one year, Volkman didn't expect to play any first grade.

But instead he relieved the injured Pezet in Round 6 and never looked back, playing every game for the rest of the season and signing a new two-year deal with the Eels in September.

He finished the year a blue and gold fan favourite, with Volkamania running wild among the Parramatta faithful.

In 2027 he'll act as a back-up to Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai, but the latter has already had an impact on Volkman through Samoa camp.

"He's given me confidence to do what I do," Volkman said.

"The way he trains and prepares himself during the week is relentless.

"He's such a competitor but that's all I can say, because if he hears this he'll think I love him."

But before Volkman and Luai are club teammates they will be brothers in arms against Australia, starting in the halves together as the masters of Samoa's chaos.

A win over the Kangaroos would be a glittering prize at any time but with a World Cup final berth on the line the stakes are even higher it shapes as the biggest night of Volkman's career.

It would be Samoa's second and Volkman remembers watching the first four years ago and dreaming of being a part of it. Now, against all odds, that dream is real and the best could still be yet to come.

"I'd just started my first pre-season with the Warriors and it was mind-blowing, to see Samoa on the biggest stage," Volkman said.

"We have the chance to do it again next week, so let's do it. I can't wait."