Ofahengaue played his junior rugby league for the Ipswich Brothers and attended Forest Lake State High School, St Edmund's College and St Peter Claver College alongside fellow NRL players Anthony Milford and Tautau Moga.

[11] On 5 October 2014, Ofahengaue played in the Broncos Holden Cup Grand final against the Junior New Zealand Warriors, starting at prop in the 34-32 loss.

On 17 October 2015, Ofahengaue played for Tonga against the Cook Islands in their Asia-Pacific Qualifier for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, starting at lock in the 28-8 win at Campbelltown Stadium.

[23] In February, he was involved in the Maroons camp breach as he was one of the designated drivers alongside Dale Copley as they were with 8 other players such as Anthony Milford, Cameron Munster, Valentine Holmes and Dylan Napa who broke the camp midnight curfew and partied on into the night after a drinking session at the Story Bridge Hotel.

[25] On 7 May 2016, Ofahengaue played for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup, starting at lock in the 18-6 loss at Parramatta Stadium.

[26] Later into the season, Ofahengaue found himself behind in the pecking order in the forward stocks in the likes of Jai Arrow and Tevita Pangai Junior and was languishing in the Queensland Cup, playing for the Souths Logan Magpies for the rest of the year after round 21.

[28] In round 8 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Ofahengaue made his return to the Broncos top squad, playing off the interchange bench in the 25-24 win at ANZ Stadium.

[29] On 8 May 2017, Ofahengaue played for Tonga against Fiji in a Pacific Test, starting at lock in the 26-24 win at Campbelltown Stadium.

[32] Ofahengaue only played in one match in the tournament which was against Lebanon, starting at prop in the 24-22 win at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

[33] After showing some powerhouse performances in the earlier rounds of the season, Ofahengaue skyrocketed in contention for the Queensland Maroons as an interchange option but instead stuck with Tonga for the time being.

Ofahengaue played in the club's elimination final against Parramatta which Brisbane lost 58-0 at the new Western Sydney Stadium.

Brisbane CEO Paul White spoke to the media saying, "The Broncos took the decision to stand down the player after taking into consideration that it was not his first driving offence in recent years.

Incoming coach Tim Sheens said, "We’ve brought several younger players through the pathways this season, with more to come, and Joe has played a role in their development.

"[54] On 20 May, Ofahengaue played his final game for the Wests Tigers starting at lock and scoring a try in a 66-18 win over North Queensland.