Roosters centre Joseph Manu reflects on hometown ahead of NRL grand final
JOSEPH Manu shuffles uncomfortably when he talks about the very different path he has travelled compared to some of his friends back home.
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JOSEPH Manu shuffles uncomfortably when he talks about the very different path he has travelled compared to some of his friends back home.
While Manu is about to cap off his first finals series with a berth in Sunday’s NRL decider, some of the boys he grew up with are now behind bars.
“I have a lot of mates who chose the wrong way, I have a few mates that have been in jail. There are gang affiliated things, a lot of bad things happened. But they didn’t have the support that I did. I’m lucky I have a good family that kept me on a straight road,” Manu said.
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The powerhouse centre hails from Tokoroa, a small town in Waikato region on New Zealand’s North Island.
The unemployment rate is 22 per cent, it’s one of the highest in the country. Gang-related crime and drug addiction is also prevalent.
But Manu says what the demographic statistics can’t measure is the genuine sense of community in a place like Tokoroa.
“Other than the gang stuff, it’s a really great community. It’s rough looking from the outside in but if you’re part of the town it’s one of the best communities,” he said.
“There is a big family feel. Everyone looks after each other and we all support each other. “You can go stay at someone’s house for a few months if you wanted too. You rock up to someone’s house and they have dinner ready for you.”
The home that Manu grew up in was one of the places you could just “rock up to”.
Both of his parents were high school teachers meaning his childhood home transformed into a drop in centre for local kids looking for a meal or somewhere to stay.
One regular visitor to the Manu's Tokoroa residence was none other than his grand final teammate and Roosters forward Zane Tetevano.
“Zane was a bit older than me, him and some of his mates used to come over when I was a bit younger. Actually his brother stayed with us too,” Manu said.
“My parents are school teachers and used to teach them. They wouldn’t even be in their classes, they’d be at my place, playing my PlayStation,” Manu said.
Manu admits “there isn’t too much going on back there” but there is no guessing what the 13000-odd who live in Tokoroa will be doing this Sunday.
“We have all of Tokoroa cheering Zane and I on, I think everyone there will be watching the grand final,” he said.
“Everyone is always so proud of whoever makes it out of Tokoroa.
“Some of those kids don’t have the best upbringing. I hope it inspires those little kids back home watching.”
While Tokoroa is a world away from the big city like Sydney, Manu will get on a plane to visit his hometown as soon as his season is over on Sunday.
“It’s a lot different to Sydney, there are no big buildings and no traffic lights but it’s good,” he said.
“It'll always be home, every off-season I make sure to go back. It’s a good place to relax.”
One of the first things the softly spoken 22-year old will do when he touches down is get out and talk to as many school kids as he can.
“A lot kids look up to me and Zane and we’ve through the same things as them too,” Manu said.
“I try to pop into all the schools. I just go and talk to them and the kids love it.
“I know when I was at school and someone from a rugby team came into town it meant the world.”