Clem Halaholo had always been marked as a special talent. It took the dream being taken away from him to start to live up to it.
It was long before he pulled on the sky blue jersey that Haloholo was put on a stage as a player to watch.
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In 2021, the NSW Waratahs U18s standout joined Reece Hodge and John Eales as part of the official launch of Australia’s Rugby World Cup bid for 2027.
Eales was the legend who had done it; Hodge was the current player looking for another World Cup appearance; and Halaholo was the player picked to represent the next generation that could be playing at the event.
“Growing up playing rugby it's always been a dream to play for the Wallabies and especially my teammates and I to represent Australia at a World Cup in 2027,” a fresh-faced Halaholo said at the time.
“It'd be a great honour to play in our own country in front of our family and friends and be a reminder to all Australians to showcase and experience what Australian rugby truly is.”
Halaholo would debut in the Shute Shield the following year for Sydney Uni as an 18-year-old bursting with talent.
With the world seemingly at his feet, the back-rower had every reason to feel unstoppable as he eventually joined the NSW Waratahs full-time squad in 2025.
Until he was.
Halaholo couldn't break into the team and found himself out of contract, leading to a tough conversation with Dan McKellar, who informed him that his services were no longer required.
“I remember it vividly and I still use it as motivation week-to-week,” Halaholo told Rugby.com.au
“I remember going in and I saw it coming [because] throughout the year my performances weren’t up to scratch. To just hear the words from him, it was honestly heartbreaking.
“It was like my dream being shattered and I didn’t know what I was going to do next year, especially at the Tahs because this is where I always wanted to play.”
Halaholo was farewelled by the club at the end of the season as the final slide of ten leaving, unsure of what was to come next, as his second chance would come shortly afterwards.
With the likes of Rob Leota, Langi Gleeson and Fergus Lee-Warner on the move, McKellar recalled Halaholo for the Super Rugby AUS competition and he never looked back.
“The first thing I did after that call was to call my dad and he said ‘this is your chance, your final shot,’” he said.
“I gave it everything I got and luckily I got a chance in Super AUS, had a pretty decent performance and believed in myself again.”
Halaholo worked his way from outside of the opening round side to become the key cornerstone of their title campaign, winning Player of the Final after a thrilling win over the Western Force.
“I think it was more my enjoyment of training,” Halaholo reflected on what changed.
“I think I started to get sick of training or just not wanting to do it or be there but when I came back, I really bought in and showcased my skills in there, really bought into what the coaches were saying and the feedback they were giving me.
“It really re-lit the dream for me and getting to play in the final...that performance really gave me the confidence that I can do it.”
Halaholo became undeniable, and when the first team list of the 2026 season was released, the back-rower was starting on his Super Rugby debut and scored with one of his first touches against the Queensland Reds.
The back-rower hasn't looked back since, helping the Waratahs to victory last week against the Fijian Drua and has missed just one game in 2026.
“It’s been pretty unreal coming from last year being off-contract, not knowing what to do next year and now being at this point…it’s lit that dream again to know that I can be a great Waratah and try and wear that gold jersey,” Halaholo said and smiled.
The back-rower is now the player the next generation looks up to, staying close to his roots in Redfern.
“I want to show they don’t have to follow the way others before you have, you can make your own way and chances,” he said.
“I think the first time I had an experience [as a mentor], it was a little brother of a friend of mine reached out to me and he was asking me questions of how to get to where I am and I think that gave me the realisation that I can be a role model for someone else, for the next person and child to step up and achieve their dream there.”
Even still, he remains that young kid still fighting for the dream he proclaimed on the stage at the Museum of Contemporary Art over five years ago.
“I still remember the awe I was in that moment being surrounded by legends such as John Eales and also the Wallabies player, Reece Hodge, to look up and think that could be the future for me,” he says about that moment and his quotes.
“The dream is now reachable, playing the Rugby that I’ve been playing and it’s reachable, you’ve got to stick to training and buy in.”
