Warriors veteran tackles new role as worried dad
Jazz Tevaga knows he didn’t play well against the Dolphins in the Warriors trial before the new season and while he’s not looking for excuses, he’s got a very good one. Less than a week before the game on February 24, his partner, Kiri-Jane Koia, gave birth to their first child together, with Malia Tevaga entering the world six weeks early.
So he had to cope with being a supporting partner, travelling across Auckland twice a day to go to hospital to visit mum and baby, deal with the medical concerns that come with a premature birth and prepare for a crucial season at the Warriors. “It has been tough,” Tevaga admitted. “I got back from Māori camp (in Townsville) on the Saturday, a bit hung over.
“As soon as I got home, I showered, closed my eyes and my missus said ‘I think she’s coming,’ so we went off to the hospital.
“They then decided to have an emergency c-section and it was a crazy week after that.
“She was 34 weeks at the time.
“She had jaundice, which most babies have and they wanted her to put on a bit of weight.”
Having to juggle Warriors commitments was exhausting because he was not allowed to stay at the hospital.
“I’d stay there until about 11.30pm and then shoot home from Auckland Hospital to Papakura, get there at midnight and be up for training at 5am.
“I was disappointed with my performance (against the Dolphins), but it was a big week for me,” he added.
“I’m not trying to make excuses, it’s the reality of trying to juggle a newborn.
“But I’ll be able to blow the cobwebs out and be ready for round one hopefully.”
This will be a big season for Tevaga, as he’s playing for his future at the club.
He is in the last year of his current contract and is yet to be offered a new one. The 28-year-old wants to end his career as a one-club player, but knows he’s got to prove his worth.
“100% I’m a Warrior and will always be a Warrior,” Tevaga said.
“If all goes to plan, I’ll stay a Warrior, but I understand this is a business and I’ve had a few disappointing seasons with injuries.
“I am getting to the end of my career and things might not work out as planned. I’ve got to focus on my football and that will take care of itself.”
Tevaga epitomises what the Warriors are about more than anyone else at the club. The first time many fans got to see this was following the Christchurch mosque attacks in March 2019.
The country was still reeling when the Warriors played the Bulldogs the next day and CEO Cameron George made the call to fling open the Mt Smart gates, letting anyone in for free and allowing Kiwis to not only mourn together but have some relief by enjoying a footy game.
As the only Christchurch-born player in the Warriors side that day, Tevaga became an unofficial spokesman for not only the club, but all New Zealanders struggling to comprehend what had happened.
Tevaga remembers the shock of the occasion. He had seen the attack footage on Twitter and thought it was a movie. Minutes later, the news came out.
On the field, Tevaga was also the club’s enforcer for a while. Something he admits was a low point for his career was also one of the most depressing days in the club’s history when, in the final game of the 2021 season, the team had a meltdown against the Titans.
Not only did they lose 44-0, but Kane Evans, Matt Lodge and, of course, Tevaga, were all sin-binned for their involvement in a mass brawl.
The game was at the end of an arduous and gruelling campaign, with the club stuck in Australia because of the Covid pandemic and players having no idea if they’d be coming home for Christmas.
Reflecting on it now, Tevaga says it was a situation where everything came to a head and frustrations couldn’t be contained any longer.
“It was after everything we’d been through. No family, no support, the way our season had gone. It all erupted.
“It was unfortunate and not one of my proudest moments in the game, or representing this club.”
Last year Tevaga purposely stood back from that enforcer role to let others take it on.
Every pack has an alpha, but back in the day the Warriors did not have one and would be bullied. It fell to Tevaga to try to do that job, and he admits that sometimes it got the better of him.
“From the 2022 season, I was able to mature my game and do my role. Even last year, I felt like I was playing good footy, because all I was worried about was focussing on my job.
“It’s helped having those guys because now I can stand at the back and pull the fingers to whoever!”