PRIDE STAR GUIDES TONGANS

FORMER Northern Pride star Chey Bird still gets goosebumps recalling his experiences with the Tongan team at this year’s Rugby League World Cup.

From being greeted by 4000 fans in the early hours of the morning at Auckland airport to their triumphant win over New Zealand at Christchurch, he said his experience as Tongan team liaison officer had been life-changing.

“Away from the footy, being exposed to the incredible support that the Tongans have is surreal,” Bird said.

“The players are almost demigods. I have never seen anything like it.

“They’re just so proud of their culture and heritage.

“The full-time scenes after the win against New Zealand … the roar was deafening.

“We were told there were noise complaints from 5km away from the stadium.”

Tonga defeated Lebanon 24-22 in a thrilling encounter at Christchurch Stadium on Saturday, with the star-studded Polynesian team walking away with plenty of respect for the less heralded Cedars.

“We had lots of praise for Lebanon. They played above themselves and did their jersey proud,” Bird said. “It was certainly a danger game. It’s been an emotional couple of weeks for the group.

“We didn’t play poorly and our completions were quite good. I think we carried for 500 more metres than they did. But they just showed so much character.”

The Mate Ma’a Tonga team yesterday arrived in Auckland, where they’ll prepare for their first Rugby League World Cup semi-final next weekend.

“We’ve got a huge Tongan community in Auckland and it creates this amazing homeground advantage for us,” Bird said. “But there’s no pressure because the team has already exceeded all expectations.”