Born in Auckland and growing up in Mangere Taumalolo started playing rugby league at the age of 4 for Papakura. He attended Delasalle College.Taumalolo moved to Townsville at the age of 13 after being scouted by the cowboys under 16's touring team.He attended Kirwan State High school and played his junior football for the Kirwan Bears and Townsville Brothers.He earned a scholarship with the Cowboys and would go to represent the Queensland under 18's and Australian schoolboys at the age of 16. Taumalolo debuted for the Cowboys under 20's in 2010 and has played over 50 games for them,including their golden point loss to the Warriors in the grand final in 2011.Despite establishing himself as a first grade in 2012.He is still eligible to play Toyota Cup until the end of the 2013 season.Taumalolo was the youngest player ever to make his debut for the cowboys, aged 17 years, 2 months and 21 days, when he came off the bench against the Bulldogs in 2010,he would make his second NRL appearance for North Queensland almost every year later in 2011 when he came off the bench in a loss to South Sydney Rabbitohs in round 24,He later starred for the Cowboys in round 25 against Cronulla,coming off the bench for the 3rd time to score 2 crucial tries and making 2 line breaks and 125 meters.At the end of the season he was awarded the Rugby Leagues Association's Toyota Cup player of the year award and was named in the Toyota Cup Team of the year in the second row.He was then named the next Sonny Bill Williams.