Junior smiles through sideline abuse
At 170 centimetres tall and weighing in at more than
110 kilograms, Manase Uhi is bigger than your average 9-year-old.
But he is not alone, and is one of many ‘‘gentle giants’’ across the junior Auckland sports scene who are out to prove doubters and sideline abusers wrong.
Manase loves rugby league, and three years ago when his father, Paula Uhi, took him down to their local O¯ ta¯ huhu Leopards club to register, he couldn’t wait to hit the field.
The game came naturally to Manase. He skittled defenders and carried opposition players down the field. ‘‘The first training was very hard because there was a lot of running. I actually cried but mum came and finished the laps with me and now I’m getting way more fit and playing really good now.’’
The club, his team-mates and coaches are all thrilled for Manase and his development but not everyone is so supportive.
‘‘We have experienced a fair bit [of abuse] but Manase has managed to smile through most of it,’’ mum Sesilia Uhi said.
Unfortunately it was the ugly side of junior sports in Auckland, she said.
Manase knows he is bigger than most children his age but said there was little he could do about that. At 110kg, he is 2kg heavier than current Warriors prop James Gavet.
‘‘I just love to play and I’m not trying to hurt anyone,’’ he said.
The Panama Primary School student said he had been encouraged by another south Auckland boy in a similar situation to him, named Eljae. Last year Stuff covered the story of how Eljae, a Manurewa Marlins junior, gave the game up after enduring sideline abuse but the 11-year-old eventually got back to playing.
‘‘We have had people question his age, say he’s too big and should go up a grade, everything,’’ Paula Uhi said.
‘‘At the end of the day he is
9 years old. This is his grade and these are his friends.’’
One of the other issues facing children in similar situations to Manase is finding a grade to play at all. Many junior leagues are weight-restricted and not all clubs have the capacity or personnel to enter open weight sides.
A spokesperson for Auckland Rugby League said it offered both restricted weight grades and open grades at many age levels for junior players, to help control such issues. With regards to sideline abuse, we have our Be a Sport, Just Support programme, which has been operating for a number of years and has seen a significant reduction in non-official complaints about poor sideline behaviour,’’ the spokesperson said. ‘‘It encourages teams to take responsibility for their own people, and requires each side to have a ‘Be a Sport’ ambassador to monitor behaviour.’’
‘‘Manase is an emotional boy and I know it hurts him to hear those things. But as a mother I’m not one to get into it with fellow parents,’’ Uhi said. ‘‘We fight abuse with encouragement.’’
Meanwhile the Tongan youngster is just as big in the classroom. Manase is a student leader, has received multiple academic excellence awards and also leads the school kapa haka group.
He said his hero was Tongan international Jason Taumalolo – and one day he wants to pull on the red and white jersey himself.