NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

Miracle Fai’ilagi is no stranger to the unexpected, his very arrival into the world marked by extraordinary circumstances.

Such was the nature of his birth that his parents bestowed the name Miracle on their son, a name he has continued to live up to, carving out a remarkable journey from village rugby to Moana Pasifika captain.

“It was kind of a miracle in my family. My mum was giving birth at the same time my dad was having surgery. When I was born, my dad finished his surgery. So it was kind of a miracle that they both lived.”

Fai’ilagi will take the reigns from Moana’s inspirational 2024 leader, Ardie Savea, who is on playing sabbatical in Japan.

Coach Tana Umaga said it’s a hole that’s impossible to fill.

“No one person can do what Ardie did for us last year or his legacy, and we can’t expect one person to step up. And so for us, it is a collective effort. We need everybody to step into that hole that he’s left.”

However, Umaga said Fai’ilagi has the full backing of the squad to lead them.

“I’ve just seen him grow in the respect that he’s gathered from those around him. He’s softly spoken, but he’s very knowledgeable around what he talks about. When we announced it to the team, it got the loudest chair that I’ve heard for a long time.”

Hailing from the villages of Vailele and Uafato in Samoa, Umaga said Fai’ilagi encapsulates the purpose of Moana Pasifika.

“It’s something for others to aspire to that come from the same background as Mira, because to get to where he’s got to, there’s not many of those stories around, especially through the pathway that he’s taken to come to Moana. it just shows that if you go through your work and you put in the effort, things can happen for you.”

It was a breakout season for Fai’ilagi, scoring eight tries, including a hat-trick in Moana Pasifika’s win over the Hurricanes.

Despite the captain’s armband, Fai’ilagi is not feeling the pressure of the role.

“Just being the best player on the field, just leading through my actions and just doing my job, nothing changes.”

He said he was honoured to be asked to lead.

“It’s a massive step up for me. It’s a really special moment for me and also my family.”

Fai’ilagi has been in regular contact with his predecessor, whose advice gave him the confidence he could do the job.

“I saw that opportunity to learn many things from him (Savea) and I’ve spoken to him a couple of weeks ago about some leadership stuff. It’s a goal of mine this season to step into that leadership group and stepping to this captaincy is massive.”

After their strongest season to date, Umaga said Moana’s challenge is to back it up in 2026.

“We knew what we did last year was great, but you can’t rest on your laurels or on what happened last year. You’ve got to learn and learn how to grow.”

Moana kick off their Super Rugby season against the Fijian Drua in Lautoka on 14 February.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The off-field blows keep coming for the A-League this week, with the future of another club hanging in the balance, and concern about the overall health of the competition is ever present for a leading coach.

On Monday the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) – which runs the A-League – took over the management of the struggling Central Coast Mariners on an interim basis while the process to sell the club is completed.

The fate of the Mariners follows Western United’s absence from the A-League this season while the club sorted out financial issues and worked to get their A-League licence back for a potential return.

Auckland FC coach Steve Corica said in their second season the league leaders were in a “healthy place” on and off the field, but he was aware that was not the case across the competition.

Corica has been involved as a player and coach in the A-League since the start in 2005.

“Of course there is always concerns,” Corica said on Tuesday about the health of the competition.

“Western we’re still not sure what is going to happen, I know they paid their debt off, so whether they come back in next year we’d like to see that, but with Central Coast as well it’s not great.

“It’s for the A-League to sort out, obviously they need to find another owner for Central Coast to move the club forward.

“We want the A-League to continue doing well.”

Reports out of Australia suggested there was local and international interest – including from English Championship club Queens Park Rangers – in taking over the ownership of the club, which is based in Gosford.

The Mariners’ men’s and women’s teams have had some success in recent years and Corica noted how well a team was doing on the field did not always impact what was happening with the business side of the club.

“They’ve had a really good run of late, they won the treble one year, they won the Grand Final, the Premiership, the last couple of years probably haven’t been like that but you just want to see them doing well off the pitch as well.”

A statement from the APL on Monday said that at this mid-point in the men’s and women’s seasons it would “ensure the ongoing obligations of the [Mariners] are met and operations continue.”

Auckland play the Mariners at Mt Smart Stadium next week.

The off-field success of the A-League would also be important for New Zealand Football which stated last month an intention to play a part in getting more New Zealand A-League teams into the competition with the first to join as soon as 2030.

NZF wanted a total of three men’s and three women’s A-League teams based in New Zealand by 2035.

Auckland also hung their future expansion into the women’s A-League on how well the competition was doing financially, with a plan to join in 2027.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand