Tokoroa’s big game plan
Sunday’s NRL win wasn’t just a win for the Sydney Roosters, it was a win for the league-loving Waikato town that raised Joseph Manu.
Touring the trophy through his hometown of Tokoroa is the last thing Manu needs to tick off on his checklist of goals. The 22-year-old centre played a starring role in winning the grand final against Melbourne Storm on Sunday night.
His success felt like his ‘‘whole town won’’, Manu said. He reckons parading the trophy around his old stomping ground is the best way to pay tribute to those who have always backed him.
‘‘I don’t know if I’m even allowed,’’ Manu said, laughing. ‘‘But if I can bring it back it will be pretty special.’’ And the town is ready for if it does make its way there. This year, Manu has emerged as one of the most exciting outside backs in the game after moving to Sydney’s eastern suburbs from Tokoroa – where his family still reside – as a teenager.
A homeboy at heart, he hasn’t forgotten the humble charms of South Waikato.
You can rock up to almost anyone’s house and they’ll feed you without a second thought, Manu said.
‘‘Everyone is a family there, everybody will look after everyone.’’
Pacific Sharks Rugby League Club chair woman Marama Tahapehi said locals were ecstatic that Manu wanted to pay tribute to the town.
‘‘We’re a crazy league town,’’ she said. ‘‘We’re in the media for lots of not nice reasons. But we’re quite a resilient town. Like any small community, really.’’
The biggest obstacle to bringing the trophy to town will be finding space for the number of people clamouring to see the prize.
‘‘It would mean a lot to the young locals who look up to players such as Manu and (Zane) Tetevano’’, she said.
‘‘That’s the beauty of it ... they’ve had their challenges and they’ve made it’’.
Retox Sports Bar owner Scott Leathem is a big Manu and Tetevano fan.
If the trophy makes its way to Tokoroa, the bar would have to throw a massive party to celebrate.
The town breeds great sportsmen, Leathem said, and for those who do end up ‘‘making it’’ they never forget their roots.