Warrior Sonny Fai
It’s been a decade since the tragic passing of promising Warriors rugby league player Sonny Fai but barely a day goes by when former captain Steve Price does not think about his young team-mate.
‘‘I can honestly say that,’’ Price told Stuff from Australia.
‘‘It’s easy to say things like that but he always comes into my head and I know it would be the same with everyone else. It’s quite unique that there’s been a lot of people that have passed that have meant a huge amount to me, but I probably don’t think of them as much as I think of Sonny.
‘‘What a blessing he was to have been a part of our lives because he was so touching to everyone in his own way.’’
It is testament to Fai’s infectious personality that he would have such a profound impact on a seasoned veteran such as Price, despite only being at the infancy of his career.
But with his bubbly nature and unmistakable laugh, it was the same for all of his team-mates.
‘‘I know people know me by my laugh but he’s got an awesome laugh,’’ Warriors great Manu Vatuvei said. ‘‘You would always crack up at him.
‘‘Off the field he was a real soft and gentle person who loved to laugh and when he was on the field training he was a different person.’’
Ten years ago Fai disappeared into the surf at Bethells Beach, west of Auckland.
Fai, just 20 at the time, never made it back to shore after going to the rescue of his younger brother and four cousins, who were caught in a rip. Despite extensive searches, his body has never been found. He was presumed drowned by the chief coroner in August, 2009.
Vatuvei saw Fai as a ‘‘little brother’’ and the pain of losing him still feels fresh at times.
Memories of the day he went missing, which happened the day before the Warriors were due to return from the Christmas break, and the ensuing aftermath remain clear.
Having fallen a game short of the grand final in 2008, much was expected of the Warriors the following season and they vowed to pay respect to Fai with their performances on the field.
However, despite opening the campaign with consecutive wins, they finished in 14th place as the emotional toll of what happened caught up with them.
‘‘It had a massive impact on us, losing a brother,’’ Vatuvei said.
‘‘It was a tough year to be honest, it was pretty hard. But every year we took it as inspiration and made sure that whenever we trained we trained like him and did everything 100 per cent.’’
For Price, it was not until he watched Vatuvei come to tears when asked about Fai in a television interview near the end of the 2009 season that he realised just how much it had affected the team.
‘‘I think we were all at home watching that exactly the same [way]. We’re all big, tough guys