Pacific NRL players are backing the bid for a Pasifika team, with sporting heavyweights emphasising that Pacific Islanders are the “future of the game”.
It’s been over a week now since the bid for a Pasifika NRL team was announced, and current Pacific NRL legends are rallying behind it.
Last week, ‘Mana Pasifika’ hit the NRL headlines, with Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland being the latest to throw its hat in the ring for a new NRL franchise.
It was at the 2025 NRL season launch in Sydney where ABC Pacific spoke with Pacific NRL players about the bid.
Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton feels like “it’ll be mad” and believes one team, the Warriors, in Aotearoa is “not enough for their growth”.
“I feel like rugby league is growing in New Zealand as well, and with a lot of talent from there, I feel like it’s a waste just having one Warriors team there. It’ll be a good expansion to have another NRL team there too. So, you can see that talent that’s coming out of there.”
Titans captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui shared that excitement too, and said a team like Mana Pasifika will attract a lot of Pacific Islanders.
“It’s good to see, it’s good to see the game is growing and like you said the per cent is real high now, and will only start to grow and it’s exciting to see.”
With the representation of Pacific Islanders in the NRL in Australia, West Tigers captain Apisai Koroisau said “it’ll be great”.
“I think the more avenues to get into the NRL, the better for everyone.”
“I hope they get it” Brisbane Broncos prop Payne Hass said.
“It’s cool, anytime we can represent our people and put in a league, like an NRL, it’s pretty cool. I hope they get it, it’s something to look forward to.”
Moana Pasifika weigh in
Ahead of Moana Pasifika’s first game, captain Ardie Savea said Mate Ma’a Tonga and Toa Samoa have proven how much the Pacific communities rally behind their team.
“I guess having a Mana Pasifika team in the league will be massive for the communities, especially the Pacific community. It will be awesome.”
Savea’s coach, New Zealand rugby legend Tana Umaga told ABC Pacific it’s “pretty obvious” that Pacific Islanders are made for the game.
“We even saw in the Super Bowl, there were six Polynesian players, the most ever in the NFl.”
“So the growing want for Pacific Island players to be involved in these contact sports, you know it’s natural, it’s what we love to do,” he said.
“I’ve always been a big believer that we are the future of the game because of the want to keep playing, the want for those physical interactions and collisions — so it was only a matter of time before something like that happened.”
Paepaetele Geoff Brown is leading the bid with enthusiasm and says the Pasifika powerhouse will represent culture, heritage and values of Pasifika and Māori athletes.
Nine months ago, Mr Brown alerted NRL powerbrokers of the upcoming bid and since then preparations for a successful outcome have been on the roll.
“We’ve actually sorted a coach out, so we actually have a coach, haven’t announced them, but it’s one of the best in the NRL. We’re sort of taking steps probably beyond the actual bid process,” he told Pacific Beat.
“But we had to do that to show the NRL that, you know, people feel strongly about it, especially when we can actually grow the game in a way that’s never grown before in New Zealand, using our origin — which is Pasifika.”
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While Mr Brown says it could be three to six months before there are any indications on where their bid has landed — “we’ll continue to build”.
“We already have our own pathways with Pasifika. Our position is pretty strong. We have a strong following.
“I mean, if you look at Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands, we’re the strongest at the moment, we’re the strongest Pacific nation, so we come with a lot of weight, a lot of know-how. We come with a lot of knowledge.”
Mr Brown says they have been talking to financial backers and equity partners, and have even secured the backing of prime ministers and rugby league governing bodies across Polynesia.
And if successful, Mr Brown told Pacific Beat Mana Pasifika would take games to Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.
Aotearoa’s bid comes as Papua New Guinea prepares to enter the NRL in 2028, thanks to a $600 million deal with Australia unveiled late last year.
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The post Support gains momentum among Pacific NRL, rugby stars for Mana Pasifika bid first appeared on Rugby 247.
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-02-15 19:16:04
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