A brush with death almost drove him away. But one-time Cowboy now nears the NFL

As his old teammates prepare a Queensland derby boilover, Laitia Moceidreke sits in a room in Florida plotting his path to the NFL, and shares a heartbreaking revelation.

Once, he harboured desires to become the next great NRL winger, moving from home during the COVID-19 pandemic to make his dream a reality with the North Queensland Cowboys.

His try-scoring 2021 debut replacing Kyle Feldt was his lone appearance, which he tells this masthead gave him a chip on his shoulder.

The 24-year-old believes that was not meant to be his fate. After fellow fringe flyer Michael Bell opted to leave the Cowboys’ COVID-19 bubble, Moceidreke admits he simply felt like the last man standing.

“I’ve never really said this, but ... I’ve always been put in a team and dropped, and I feel like I didn’t really earn my debut,” Moceidreke says.

Laitia Moceidreke pictured during his time in reserve grade with the Newcastle Knights.Credit: NRL Photos

“In my eyes it felt like there was no one else to pick, so I was the last option.

“Even the boys said, ‘Michael, if you didn’t leave that would’ve been your debut’. I always had that chip on my shoulder.”

His shift to Newcastle proved a similar experience, often languishing in local leagues stuck behind then-Knights wingers Dominic Young and Greg Marzhew.

But nearing the end of the NFL’s International Player Pathways’ trials, he declares what came before – the struggles, the contemplations, and even the fears he would lose his twin brother – was part of a greater plan.

“I was ready to give up footy, but I’m a big believer that nothing happens just because it happens,” Moceidreke says.

“I feel like I’m here for a reason and wouldn’t be here if the man above didn’t think I could go all the way. That definitely drives me a lot.”

Brush with death shapes future

When Moceidreke decided to give up his career, before his NFL opportunity surfaced, he reveals a near-fatal car crash drove him towards working as a teacher’s aide in the disability space.

Ahead of his move to Townsville, his world was thrown into disarray when his twin Waisea lay in hospital as the pair’s 21st birthday approached.

“Because of my twin and his accident that really opened my eyes and gave me a soft spot for the disability [space],” Moceidreke says.

“It was really fulfilling, helping others was really cool.”

Waisea has made a strong recovery; now running marathons, playing disability rugby league and travelling, including a recent visit to Florida ahead of his brother’s International Pathways’ testing day on March 26.

“He doesn’t tell us where he goes. He just flies and will say ‘I’m in Melbourne’.”

Laitia Moceidreke on his twin Waisea

At the time, the Cowboys allowed Moceidreke to delay his move, before he suffered an MCL injury upon his arrival which was followed by a syndesmosis concern in early 2022.

The pandemic ensured he could not see his family, aside from a cousin in Mackay, as he leaned on his housemates in current NRL stars Tom Gilbert and Griffin Neame.

But he never truly felt like he had a chance to get going, with his mind constantly back home and on his brother’s recovery.

“I’d never left home and never left my family. I’m really big on family and have a big family at home,” Moceidreke says.

“I’ve got six boys in my family including me, we were all pretty close and all my cousins were pretty close – we grew up in the same house.

“I was hiding in my shell a bit, leaving my family and my twin still in hospital. I felt a bit sad at the time, and then mum would always check up and call me and tell me he was making progress.

“Not being able to go home, I found that a bit tough.”

Chance at history

Since Jordan Mailata rose from the South Sydney Rabbitohs pathways to Super Bowl champion, NRL talents have been linked with NFL moves.

Valentine Holmes and Jarryd Hayne garnered chances, but were unable to capitalise.

Despite admitting he knew nothing about the game, Moceidreke is determined to ensure he does not follow that narrative.

While he appreciates the odds are stacked against him as he strives to prove he belongs as a tight end among the elite, it is a challenge he is relishing.

“You have to play every rep at 100 miles an hour because the person in front of you is going 100 miles an hour. You have to have that mentality of ‘I want to beat you and make sure you know about it’,” Moceidreke says.

“There’s zero room for error. I’m relishing it, it’s definitely something on my mind being the first NRL player to play in the NFL and stay in the NFL.

“I don’t want to make this a short-term thing, I definitely want to make a career out of it.”