HONOURING A HERO
RUGBY LEAGUE:
The tears rolled down her cheeks. Another part of Maika was leaving again.
Mere Sivo, the mother of Parramatta cult hero Maika, was watching as four of her son’s Parramatta teammates left her small Fijian village.
Clint Gutherson, Mitchell Moses, Nathan Brown and Reed Mahoney separated from the rest of the Prime Minister’s XIII squad to visit Momi, a village along the Queen’s Highway south of Nadi where Sivo grew up.
As the bus carrying Eels players drove from the village, Mere’s tears welled. The temporary connection with her son had gone.
“I am so proud of Maika and what he did this year, top tryscorer,” she said through an interpreter. “I never miss Maika’s games. I miss him.”
What unfolded over the previous 45 minutes showed why we adore rugby league.
The raw emotion, passion and enthusiasm of a village in love with their very own legend.
Small kids with big smiles — some wearing NRL jumpers — took the day off school to see their Parramatta heroes. “Moses” they yelled, “Gutherson”. They ran alongside the bus, their smiles broad, their teeth blindingly white. “Imagine when Maika comes home,” Moses said.
Wearing an Eels jumper, Sivo’s little brother Issia points out a blue weatherboard house nestled over the back where they watch every Parramatta game and call out the names of every player.
Someone has carved “Parramatta Eels” into the concrete step leading to the Sivos’ front porch.
There are selfies, group shots, hugs and high fives. One lady even pushed her face through the open window for a photo with Moses. This village had come alive.
“To see how much the game means to these people, what the game can do and all the love ... everyone is running around. It’s crazy,’’ Gutherson said.
The only person missing yesterday was Sivo’s father Joeli, who was working.
Fiji coach Brandon Costin added: “Every young kid in Fiji wants to play for Parramatta. What he (Sivo) has done is just a fairytale. You could almost make a movie out of it.
“It’s what every young kid in Fiji is buying into. They want to follow that same dream.
“Every young man wants to be able to send money home to support the village and support the community and support the family. He is a role model now for every young boy in Fiji who not only wants to play rugby league but also wants to serve their family.”