‘Spine-tingling’: Fans lose it as All-Star scenes blow NRL away

The annual All-Stars game has once again kicked the NRL season off in the perfect way — even before a ball had even been kicked.

The footy season is back with a bang. Photo: Getty Images and Fox Sports

Footy is officially back.

The NRL season proper may still be a couple of weeks away but the traditional curtain-raiser, the NRL All-Stars has kicked the season off with a bang.

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While it’s still pre-season and many players’ first game of the season, the pride and passion of both the Indigenous and Maori teams is always something to behold.

While the Indigenous All-Stars retained the trophy with a 22-14 win, it was once again the pre-game that was the real spectacle of the night.

Starting with a moment’s silence for the Stolen Generation, the Maori side then delivered a brilliant rendition of the Haka.

While the passion was clear across the field, Knights centre Dane Gagai, playing in his first All-Stars game since 2019, was almost terrifying.

Gagai, who played between 2015 and 2017 for the Indigenous All-Stars and in 2019 for the Maori All-Stars hadn’t played since 2020 as he said the decision was too much to bear.

Gagai qualifies for both team, for the Indigenous through his father, and Maori through his mother.

“I’m extremely proud of both my Torres Strait Island and Maori heritage, and am extremely grateful to have been able to represent both cultures,” Gagai said in 2020 when revealing he wouldn’t play.

“It’s not the last time I will represent either one, I just can’t when they play each other.”

You'd follow Gagai into battle. Photo: Fox Sports

Dane Gagai is terrifying. photo: Fox Sports

But he decided to opt for his mother’s heritage and it clearly meant a lot.

The Indigenous All-Stars came together to meet at halfway with the Maori side even crossing the line.

“My goodness,” Dan Ginnane said on Fox League. “Bottom of screen I hope you saw Josh Curran eyeballing Jazz Tevaga, the former Warriors teammate.

“That was sensational.”

Then it was the Indigenous side’s turn.

All wearing war paint and brandishing spears, it was equally passionate from the Indigenous side.

“It really is stirring stuff isn’t it,” Ginnane said.

“And now the respect after the challenges were issued. Two very different styles but no less meaningful one from the other.

“Now the challenge, you’ve got to get up for a football game.”

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in the war cry. Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Incredible scenes. Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Michael Ennis said: “It’s always tough. We’ve seen such emotion.

“The pride and the passion, it’s always so captivating that it almost leaves you speechless. Seeing the emotion of both these warriors come together and the emotion of two former teammates come together, eyeballing each other, forehead on forehead.

“How do they get themselves back level with their emotions and get themselves ready for a football team?”

If that doesn’t get your blood pumping, what will? Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

While the commentators were blown away by the scenes, social media was equally captivated.

Melts my heart to see the likes of Dane Gagai getting to celebrate both sides of his Indigenous identity through this All Star game. This concept is a journey of self-discovery as much as it is a celebration of culture. I'm so happy these players have this. #NRLAllStars

— Jordan Patu (@Jordan_Patu) February 16, 2024

The indigenous all stars war cry was unreal. I love how much effort they put into that performance. I don’t think we’ve seen a cultural display from them like that before have we?! #NRLAllStars

— Tiffany Salmond (@tiffany_salmond) February 16, 2024

If Matt Timoko did a haka at me, I would simply curl up into a ball and cry. #NRL#upthemilk#NRLAllStars

— Raiders Off-Season Hype Man (@sloanefather) February 16, 2024

Both the war cry and haka were spine tingling!! #NRLAllStars

— Gwendolyn (@miss_gwendolynn) February 16, 2024

Spine-tingling war cries as always. Absolutely brilliant to watch. Brilliant respect from the crowd too. #NRLAllStars

— Lachlan Jeffery (@LachlanJeffery) February 16, 2024

Brilliant by both. So much emotion. So much connection to culture. Beautiful. #NRLAllStars#NRL

— Nobody Special 🏳️‍🌈💚❤️ (@yatayee) February 16, 2024

The emotion on Dane Gagai’s face says it all..

What a display of passion, pride & culture. Love it#NRLAllStars

— BFiso (@MotownFizzy) February 16, 2024

The cultural/indigenous war cries (for lack of a better term from me) get better every year. So much work clearly goes in and it pays off. Well done to both sides #NRLAllStars

— 24 Sep 1989 (@Raiders_24Sep89) February 16, 2024

NRL All-Stars Indigenous Vs Māori, how good was that intro! Should be good this #NRLAllStars

— Andy Pickles (@AndyPickles1) February 16, 2024

And while it’s the first game of the year for many of these guys, there was no less passion when the match began.

When Latrell Mitchell dropped the first kick directed at him after a big hit from Gagai, the Knights centre was clearly still pumped.

It led directly to the first try as Joe Tapine barged his way over for the Maori.

But the Indigenous side hit back almost immediately, making the most of a mistake to hit straight back, before completing his first quarter double to give the Indigenous side a 10-8 lead at the first break.

The Maori dominated the second quarter on all but the scoreboard as the Indigenous opened up a 16-8 lead.

Desperate defence kept the Indigenous side ahead and continued to deny the Maori.

The Maori had 57 per cent of the possession but didn’t have the finesse to finish out the game.

And when Khan-Pereira scored in the 70th minute, the match was decided, with a crash play from Xavier Willison scoring a consolation in the 78th minute for the Maori.

The Indigenous All-Stars won the fixture 22-14.

Originally published as ‘Spine-tingling’: Fans lose it as All-Star scenes blow NRL away