Ratugolea was born in Griffith, New South Wales. His parents are Fijian, and arrived in Australia a few years before his birth. At the age of six, Ratugolea moved to Cobram, Victoria. He only began playing football in 2011, after previously playing rugby and soccer.[3][4]
^The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.