AT Ratu Cakobau Park yesterday, he sunk the team that gave him his big break in top flight football.
In 2007, Raymond Singh, then a Lautoka official, was looking for two players to reinforce the Blues.
Singh, managing director of Islands Electric Wholesalers, wanted a central mid-fielder and a central defender.
The Fiji under-20 team had sparkled at the Oceania Championship in New Zealand where Labasa's Roy Krishna won the Golden Boot.
Two names from that team were given to Singh — Navua duo Samuela Kautoga and Kelepi Qaqa.
Both went to meet Singh. Terms and conditions were discussed.
Kautoga, with help from sister Ela, agreed and penned a deal straight away.
Qaqa expected a little more so moved to Rewa.
That was the break Kautoga was looking for.
Being benched most of the time for Navua was not helping this talented youngster, given he had captained the district's Vashist Muni College team to victory in the secondary school IDC the year before, only to lose the trophy following a protest.
There was something about him that perhaps the then Navua officials did not see.
"I didn't play much for Navua," Suva rep Kautoga recalled after scoring twice in yesterday's National Football League 2-1 win over his former team.
"I played a few league games, that's all."
Navua's loss was Lautoka's gain. Kautoga was an instant hit with Blues officials and fans.
He started playing at central defence and showed his athleticism and aerial prowess.
As he got more game time, his aggression and sniff for goals stood out.
He was getting better by the day.
It wasn't until one league match when Blues officials tried him at central midfield that they realised that this man was not only a defender. He was a complete footballer, a real gem, an unpolished diamond.
"It was against Nadroga," he remembers.
The Coral Coast side were annhiliated 7-0 and Kautoga, manning the engine room, scored four goals.
That performance of his turned heads and even national team selectors started talking notice.
The following year he was drafted into the national team setup and has since retained his spot.
Put him anywhere on the field, even goalkeeper and I am sure he will manage.
Yesterday, Suva mentor Gurjit Singh, who is very good at getting the best out of players, started him at right-back. He scored a goal.
He was later moved further up-field to right midfield to add more aggression and power to the Whites attack. He scored a second goal.
He is a player that will make strikers sit up and take notice, the way he did yesterday.
While Sherwin and Issa Sani were fluffing opportunities coming their way, Kautoga had three chances and nailed two.
For the first one, he was in the right place at the right time prodding home into an empty net after striker Ralph Sherwin's attempt was thwarted by an advancing Lautoka goalkeeper Jone Sorolo.
For the second, he rose majestically in the air to glance home a beautiful header giving the Blues stopper no chance.
Kautoga almost had a hat-trick late in the game but the uneven surface got the better of him as the ball popped up a little and he fumbled and dragged his shot wide.
"Samu is one player who you can use just about anywhere on the pitch," coach Singh said.
"He gives us a lot of options and had a good game. With a little bit of work on fitness, Samu will do much better."
I don't know too many local defenders who are equally good upfront. I have heard about that Ba legend, the late Jone Nakosia, and how he was feared for his powerful strikes.
His goals often came from sheer power. Kautoga, who could go on to become a household name like Nakosia in time to come, has his own style.
He is good in the air and robust, like Nakosia, but he is also pacey and can play in the middle or out wide be it in defence or midfield. His biggest strength is he can even heck it as a number 10 or second striker.
For a player who often warmed the Navua bench, Kautoga has moved forward in leaps and bounds.
He helped Lautoka win the 2008 IDC at Ba's Govind Park. It was a good way to say thank you to the man who introduced him onto the big stage, Raymond Singh as Singh's brother Dennis was coach of that team.
Kautoga then moved to Labasa and was instrumental in the Lions IDC victory at the National Stadium last year. He also enjoyed a stint in Vanuatu with Amical FC before joining the Whites in the last transfer window.
Married, with a baby girl, he is a class act on the field of play. A tireless worker for the team. He is often all over the park. Kautoga is a match winner. Watch him win something big with Suva one of these days.