Tonga coach Kristian Woolf says he suspects Stefano Utoikamanu has learned a lesson from his fiery grand final week sledge in a defence of the Storm prop ahead of his debut for the Mate Ma'a.

Utoikamanu featured in two Tests for Samoa in 2023 but the Melbourne front-rower has since switched his allegiance to Tonga.

He was on Tuesday named in a 21-man Tonga squad for the Pacific Championships, beginning on October 18 and concluding with the final on November 9. Advertisement

Utoikamanu enflamed grand final week when, without naming names, he labelled some Broncos players "stuck up".

Going by the antics of Clive Churchill Medal winner Reece Walsh in the wake of Brisbane's grand final victory over Melbourne, the Broncos clearly used Utoikamanu's sledge as a source of motivation for

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