The death of Tago's grandfather and biggest fan Greg rocked the three-time premiership-winning centre just before the start of the 2026 season.
"He was probably the main father figure in my life. It was a hard time," Tago told AAP.
Tago was left to process his grandfather's passing as Penrith were ramping up their quest to recover from last year's preliminary final defeat.
The Panthers and Tago agreed the best thing was for the 24-year-old to take some time to be around family rather than line up in round one.
"It was probably good for me to have a break from footy at the time, even though it was the start of the year. My mind was in another place," he said.
"The boys were probably better prepared than I was. It was best for the team."
Tago's absence brought Tom Jenkins into the backline for round one, and the left winger starred in Penrith's big defeat of reigning premiers Brisbane.
Jenkins had soon surged to the top of the season's tryscoring leaderboard in career-best form, while centre pairing Paul Alamoti and Casey McLean impressed as Penrith won their first five games of the season.
Having grappled with personal tragedy, Tago was blocked on his path back to first grade, consigned to NSW Cup for the first time since 2021.
He resolved to take a team-first attitude to the setback.
"I came through the whole system as a Panthers junior and that's something we value," Tago said.
"I wouldn't be much of a Panther or a teammate if I wasn't having that mindset.Â
"I just didn't want to be kicking stones, I tried to prepare the boys as best as I could in whatever role I was doing at training."
By round seven, coach Ivan Cleary knew he had to find a spot for the talented Tago in his team.
Tago has almost exclusively started at centre since the beginning of 2022, but has come off the bench for minutes at second row the past three weeks.
"He's just too good a player. I've got to find a spot for him, that's the way we're thinking. It's going well so far," Cleary said.
Tago scored the match-winning try in Sunday night's 18-16 defeat of plucky Manly, grabbing a short ball from Dylan Edwards and streaking away down the right edge.
"It's a good feeling after a few weeks out, it's good to be back," he said.
With McLean and Alamoti both still shining in the backline, Tago is more than happy to keep up his role as a pinch hitter from the bench.
"If that's what's best for the team ... then I'll be more than happy to play that and keep growing in that role," he said.
17°C