The inspiring story behind Canterbury Bulldog Falakiko Manu’s NRL debut

Unwanted by any NRL club, but unwilling to give up - this young Bulldog’s many sacrifices are set to be repaid on Saturday.

Canterbury Bulldogs rookie Falakiko Manu in action for Mounties

When Falakiko Manu was living out of his car, the easy option was to give up his NRL dream and head home to his native New Zealand.

For Manu, nothing has come easily. He felt the same when as a 16-year-old boy he flew out to Australia by himself in the hope of one day becoming a first-grader.

Unwanted and on the NRL scrap heap he was resigned to living in a single bed at the panel beaters where he worked. Manu called that home as recently as February and still managed to describe the living arrangement as some sort of luxury given how little he has had.

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Rookie Falakiko Manu’s path to his NRL debut has been anything but easy.

Fast forward eight years from his arrival in Australia and Manu’s moment of truth came in the most surprising of fashions. The 24-year-old was plucked from obscurity to complete a surprise training session with the Bulldogs top grade squad just before Christmas. On the brink of giving up on his NRL dream Manu received a phone call which changed his life dramatically shortly after that December hitout.

“There was an opposed session against the NRL squad which wasn’t supposed to happen,” said Manu who was contracted to Canterbury’s feeder club Mounties. “They needed some players. It was pretty much the game of my life. We played full on. I was breaking the line and running around the NRL squad. I was shocked how well I went.

“Straight after the session the Bulldogs reached out. They told me they wanted me to complete the rest of pre-season. That training session changed everything. It was the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Manu is the shining light in another dark week for the Bulldogs. The club were lumped with a $50,000 fine, five players were unavailable to play the Sea Eagles on Saturday while star signing Nick Cotric was ruled out for the season.

Manu’s debut has been more than a decade in the making. He was bright eyed and hopeful when he secured a scholarship with Ipswich State High after being scouted dominating in south Auckland.

The Bulldogs spotted him at school and moved him to Sydney to be part of their under-20s set-up. Two seasons at Canterbury ended in 2016 and the next year Manu was relegated to park footballer.

The third tier Ron Massey Cup was the highest level he would play as he battled a run of injuries including a shoulder reconstruction.

“I wanted to go home,” Manu said. “I was depressed. I knew I was good enough but I just needed to get a go. I didn’t want to let my family down. When I came here I told myself I wanted to do my parents proud. I thought I’d rather suffer here and try and get to where I want to be rather than go back home.”

Manu was struggling away from the field too. Out of the NRL system he found salvation in his work. His boss Jim Angelis was introduced to Manu by the Bulldogs when he was a hopeful first grader.

“I told him I only had one condition – that he was punctual,” Angelis said. “I said we start at 7:30am. Little did I know he was living in Cabramatta. His travel time started at 4:30am and he had to walk, take two rains and a bus. He never late. He would finish up work and then head to training.

“After a while we got wind he was sleeping in his car. We found him scruffy and not his normal self. “We have a little sick-bay area and we offered it to him. He stayed here for two years and has become part of the family.”

Manu knew he was at his lowest ebb when he was found in the car.

The space in the workshop that Canterbury Bulldogs rookie Falakiko Manu called home.

“I didn’t want them to come and see me sitting in my car,” Manu said. “It got to the point where living in it was uncomfortable. All I had was my one suitcase. I didn’t want help from anyone. I kept telling my family back home that I didn’t know what to do or how I would get into the NRL.

“At times it got tough but I got used to being on my own. I’m not that the type that wanted a better bed or anything. I was showering on top of a toilet. I am forever grateful to my boss. I wasn’t paying rent, I was just over the moon to have somewhere to sleep.

“When I moved into the work shop I thought life was great. If it wasn’t for my job I wouldn’t left to go home.”

Even after that dream pre-season training run Manu was still living in the small room at the Angel Smash Repair at Belmore. He stayed there until February after earning a summer contract with the Bulldogs and being surrounded by teammates on rich six figure contracts. Manu featured in reserve grade this year and kept training with the NRL squad once a week.

Canterbury Bulldogs rookie Falakiko Manu in action for Mounties.

He received a phone call last Sunday that he needed to be at Belmore this week to cover for Canterbury’s growing sidelined contingent but it was not until Tuesday where he found out he was going to make his debut by coach Trent Barrett.

“My body just paused,” Manu said. “I got very emotional. I couldn’t stop crying. When I was all alone and living in the shop and car – I thought one day when I make it this will all be worth it. That’s what I kept telling myself.

“I can’t even remember what Trent said. I was just shaking. I always told myself that I only needed one chance.

“I am just ready to rip in.”

Originally published as The inspiring story behind Canterbury Bulldog Falakiko Manu’s NRL debut