Moses Leota wants to give his children everything he didn’t have

Penrith forward Moses Leota is driven by a desire to provide a life for his partner and young children.

Penrith forward Moses Leota moved to Australia without his mother when he was 12 Picture: Brett Costello

Moses Leota plays hard but speaks soft. He has charged through the middle of the field this season for a Penrith side that stands on the cusp of history, driven by a desire to ensure his young family is able to enjoy the things he went without.

Leota never knew his father until he moved to Australia from New Zealand as a 12-year-old. His mother did her best but there were days when Leota went to school without lunch.

“We used to run around bare foot, play footy at the creek, go to school, play with our neighbours and have fun,” Leota said.
“We weren’t well off at all. (Mum) did everything she could but we weren’t rich or anything. There were times where we had no lunch.

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“But a lot of us Poly kids go through that — going to school without your lunch every day is normal. When I came to ­Australia it was totally different.

“I started school here and I had lunch money plus food. I think that is why I loved it here.”

Leota made his first trip to Australia in 2005. A couple of years later he came over on his own, visiting relatives in Penrith.

When his cousin asked if he wanted to stay, he jumped at it despite the protestations of his mother.

“She was off it, hey,” Leota said.

“She wanted me to come back but there was a better future here for me. She was angry, but she got over it. I just said I am not coming home and hoped for the best. My cousin hit me up and asked me if I wanted to stay. He was living in Mt Druitt. I loved it here. We came here in 2005 and I loved it, I didn’t want to go back.

“Once I got the chance to come back I took it with both hands.”

That’s a familiar refrain when it comes to Leota. When opportunity has presented itself, he has grabbed it with both hands.

He played rugby union in New Zealand, only dabbling in rugby league the year before he departed for the famed Mt Albert club. When he moved to Australia, he opened the lines of communication with his father.

“I didn’t really know my dad until I got to Australia,” Leota said. “To be honest, I didn’t know if there was any difference. I grew up with mum and had a stepdad there who filled in the role. (His father) found out I was here from one of my family members. He ended up wanting to meet up and see me. It was weird at first.

“I had never met him before. It was good to see him. He texts me every week to say he is watching. He is happy for me.”

His mum is as well. Two years ago, when he signed a new deal with the Panthers, Leota rewarded his mother by surprising her with a new car. The video went viral as his mother broke down in tears. Leota shed tears as well.

Our trip to Auckland was a memorable one for Moses Leota and his mum. Love your work Moses! ❤️️😭#pantherpride 🐾 pic.twitter.com/s6YdCg3rRb

— Penrith Panthers (@PenrithPanthers) August 25, 2018

“She can’t come over but she will be watching,” Leota said.
“She goes crazy. She tells me to play my hardest every week.”

No concerns there. Leota has been ripping in to such an extent that he is now in the mix to make Brad Fittler’s 27-man NSW squad for the upcoming State of Origin series. Only a few years back, Leota was working as a brickie’s labourer, turning up at training plastered in mud. Now he stands on the verge of Origin.

“I got a letter in the mailbox saying I got invited for a trial,” Leota said. “That is where it started. I was excited and nervous. I was really happy. I went all right. I remember I finished work and I had come here (to Panthers Stadium), I was covered in mud.

“I started brickie’s labouring at 15. I didn’t finish school at all — I didn’t finish Year 10. I was just a troubled kid with a short ­attention span.

He is fuelled by his desire to provide for his daughters Aiva and Aria.

“I do everything for my kids,” he said. “They are my motivation — my family is my motivation every week. For them to be in my life is important.”