World Footy News

Next up in our series on teams competing at the 2009 Under-16s Oceania Cup, we spoke to the team representing the Kingdom of Tonga.

The Tongan team will be managed by AFL Tonga Development Officer Tim Grose, whose younger brother Gavin played AFL football with Port Adelaide in 2007 and 2008.

Tim Grose holds a position as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) through AusAid, with the AFL Oceania being partner organisation to the program. Grose hails from Brisbane, having played for Queensland State League club Mt Gravatt, and having also held a junior development officer position at the club during 2003. Further north, he also played senior football and coached juniors in the city of Rockhampton, on the Central Queensland coast.

Grose is five months into a twelve-month stay in Tonga, with goals for the assignment include conducting school programs and clinics, training his Tongan counterparts in umpiring and coaching, promoting the sport on a national basis, establishing Australian football in the outer islands with inter-island tournaments, providing junior development opportunities for boys and girls of all ages, and training and selecting the national squad to tour Fiji for the 2009 AFL Oceania Cup.

Visits to high schools and the outer islands saw an initial squad of 46 selected. This was later cut to thirty, then last Saturday November 14th, the final 22 players were selected and are now in training for the tournament.

As Grose explains, the national squad has a team camp coming up from November 30th until December 2nd, with training, sports nutrition presentations and game play strategies. More importantly though, the camp is also a chance for team bonding. The final team consists of two players from Va'vau, three from Ha'apai and eighteen from the main island Tongatapu.

Grose believes Tonga has a few players who should be watched very carefully in Fiji, in particular the captain Peni Mahina. "Peni represented the Pacific Team three months ago in Cairns against the Queensland team at the South Pacific Forum, and played well enough to suggest he will be one the AFL will be watching closely. Peni will likely play at Centre Half Back with his height, strength and speed his greatest assets."

He also rates a number of others in the squad quite highly, describing Semisi K. Tu'aefe as "another tall boy with speed and agility on his side. Will cause headaches for defenders. Vice Captain Taniela Kilioni is a speedster with great ball skills and one of the best kicks in the side. He will love the big open spaces of the Fiji ground. These boys show AFL scholarship potential, discipline and ability."

"AFL Tonga is working hard to create a relationship with the Port Adelaide Football Club, with preliminary talks being held between the two with some aid hopefully coming in 2010."

Whilst the focus for 2009 was development of the juniors and youth, the senior competition is planned to be up and running in the next couple of weeks, including players who competed in last year's International Cup.

Early 2010 will also feature AFL Tonga's Australia Day Tournament - 'Island of Origin'. As Grose tell us, "This is a lightning carnival on January 26th, between Va'vau, Eua, Ha'apai and Tongatapu. The winner of the Island of Origin will receive a shield and bragging rights as the best AFL playing island in Tonga. Primary Schools will also compete at half time of some of the games. The Australian High Commissioner is a regular at this event, with the Australia Day events enjoyed by all Australian ex-pats and local supporters of AFL Tonga!"