Moimoi new top dog of Canadian franchise

At the age of 37, Fuifui Moimoi still looks like he could run through brick walls.

The former Parramatta cult hero is the marquee signing for the Toronto Wolfpack, the latest chapter of a remarkable career.

Moimoi spent more than a decade with the Eels, before playing the last two seasons with Leigh Centurions in the Rugby League Championship (the second tier of British league).

They achieved promotion to Super League but Moimoi has decided to join his former Leigh coach and seven of his teammates at the Canadian franchise.

“Obviously, it is a different experience,” Moimoi told the Herald on

Sunday. “From the NRL to Championship and now Championship to League One. It was a last-minute call for me but I am very excited to go there.”

Despite his advancing years, Moimoi remains an imposing figure. He has a handshake that could break a rock, with the muscular forearms that produced that famous fend in the NRL. Time marches on, but Moimoi is happy to go around again.

“Some days, the body is getting old, and some days, it still feels the same,” said Moimoi. “Some ex-players retire when their body has told them they’ve had enough. One day, it will say I can’t do it any more and that’s when I’ll stop.”

Moimoi was an Eels legend, with more than 200 NRL games. His try in the 2009 grand final was a classic, as was a steamroll of Karmichael Hunt in a clash against the Broncos, which prompted the memorable line “Fuifui has turned Hunt into chop suey”.

“The NRL helped me grow my footy,” said Moimoi. “As a little kid from the Islands, it was my dream to play NRL. It was an amazing experience.”

Moimoi, who still returns to Tonga every Christmas, hopes the Toronto experience can provide a memorable final chapter.

“We’ve got a good team,” said Moimoi. “League in Canada — it’s going to be an adventure.”