Fresh Off The Field

Esava Ratugolea wanted to become an NRL star but after moving to country Victoria, AFL was the only option for the Fijian. Ratugolea has since moved from Geelong to Port Adelaide and we hear about his favourite Fijian food, wanting to have a kava sesh with his Port teammates and why more Fijians would light up the AFL if the pathway was there.

Co-hosts Finau Vulivuli and Priestley Habru also fill us in on plenty of sport across the Pacific and which other country does Bobby wish people confused her for?!

This week on Fresh Off The Field we re-live some of the best chats we've had on the show so far. You'll hear from Pacific Games gold medallists like Solomon Islands legend Jenly Wini and Tonga Tala Netball captain Hulita Veve as well as trailblazers like football referee Shama Maemae and the first Samoan AFLW player Vaomua Laloifi.

Moana Pasifika coach, Manu Samoa assistant coach and All Black legend Tana Umaga chats about his immense pride in connecting deeply to his Samoan heritage through coaching, after turning down the opportunity to play for Manu Samoa when he was younger. We also hear about the way Moana celebrate and integrate culture into their high performance program that the Super Rugby demands.

Patricia Keamo and Nicolea Mateariki are in the co-host chairs and discuss a range of sports news from across the Pacific.

Editor’s note: this episode has been amended to comply with editorial and legal standards.

Della Audama was one of the first ever PNG Orchids when they formed a national team for the women in 2017. She's now a coach with the team and sees first hand the way the sport can provide hope and a pathway for young girls across Papua New Guinea. Bobby chats to Audama off the back of their first entry into the Women's National Championships in Australia last weekend.

Indra Singh and Lisa Osifelo are also on board this week and share a range of sports news from around the Pacific.

Raema von Reiche and the Samoa Sailing Association had an idea in 2019 to help make sailing more accessible and so the idea of Samoan Sailability Program was born. Bobby chatted to Raema about the development of the program, the recent donation of 10 Hansa boats and how far they still need to go.

The Olympics are coming up quickly and one person hoping to add it to her calendar this year is Majabelle Lawac, one of Vanuatu’s newest beach volleyball sensations. Majabelle spoke to Bobby about her preparations and what it means to represent her nation on the international stage.

The AFL have launched their inaugural Pasifika Community Event that will see 30 young girls from across the Pacific land in QLD to participate. Bobby talks to Ben Drew, the International Development Manager at the AFL about the event.

The new father wants to do his daughter proud at the Paris Olympics.

As the Football Federation Samoa focus on grass roots programs to increase participation, they say that children can play multiple sports at a young age.

The Māori All Stars will be looking for revenge when they take on the Indigenous All Stars tomorrow night in Townsville and Maori lock Jazz Tevaga is confident they will get the win.