World Footy News

Penisimani Mahina is a 19 year old from Tonga, and is on the verge of becoming the face of Tongan footy.  Named Captain of the Tongan Tigers for the 2011 International Cup, Peni received some publicity last year in Australia in no small part due to his father being a cousin of the father of Israel Folau.

Today, the AFL’s newest club, the Greater Western Sydney Giants reveal Peni as an International Scholarship signing (a not so well kept secret).  He joins several other South Pacific youngsters – but he joins them with a little more fanfare and the obvious photo opportunities.

The links, tenuous or otherwise to Folau are there to be exploited and manipulated – and that’s understandable.  However, there’s a bit of a misconception that the footy journey of Peni Mahina was instigated by the AFL signing of Izzie. But that, and money, certainly had nothing to do with it.

On Saturday, Game Day 1 of the IC11, WFN caught up with Peni Mahina as well as his father Malakai. 

Peni was first exposed to ‘footy’ through school clinics conducted by AFL Tonga. Ed McCowan first introduced young Peni to Australian football, but he stresses that the Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) officer, Tim Grose, in 2009, also played a huge role in his early development. Peni excelled at athletics and Rugby League, but found something about footy that appealed more to him.  For Peni, this was the game for him, a mix of athleticism, skills, teamwork and retaining a healthy level of physicality.  Interestingly Folau himself recently suggested about Tongans being suited to the AFL:

"They just love the freedom of running around and having a kick. I think in the game of AFL you can do anything really.

"You can run around, you can tackle someone, you can kick and handball so it involves pretty much everything and I think that’s what they enjoy the most."

On the back of the interest shown by his son, Peni’s father Malakai diverted his energy to this new game about which he knew little.  Malakai held Level 3 Rugby Union and Rugby League coaching accreditation and had been involved with Tongan national teams.   Malakai threw himself into this strange game and took on the role of a volunteer AFL Development officer, such that now it wouldn’t be inappropriate to suggest that the Mahina family is the first family of AFL in Tonga. 

In fact, the current IC11 squad includes Peni’s older brother Sosiua (an excellent player in his own right, who is nursing an injured ankle that has kept him on the sidelines so far) and cousin Finau Mahina. 

Through 2009 Peni had two fine international opportunities that in previous years just were not available.  Firstly he participated in the successful South Pacific squad that defeated a North Queensland representative side in an exhibition match in Cairns in front of many of the national leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum.  Then in December, he captained the inaugural Tongan national team in the first Oceania Cup under 16s tournament held in Fiji.

For Peni, who has been helping his father with game development, the captaincy was a natural leadership role that he took in his stride. 
Tonga won the tournament (noting PNG were unable to attend) and with the bonus of places in the inaugural South Pacific squad to take on the Aussies in the 2010 NAB AFL national under 16s championship up for grabs.   Come 2010 and Peni played an integral role in the South Pacific squad, playing a key defensive role and taking out the South Pacific’s best defender award. 

When the 2010 Oceania U16s tournament came around, in which Tonga were runners up to the powerful PNG squad, the AFL was getting serious enough to run an ‘AFL Combine’ testing day.  And the results were very good, including skills which were reported as a major surprise.  Peni was one of the stand out performers on the day, scoring 25 from a possible 30 in the relatively new Nathan Buckley designed kicking test.  This reportedly equalled the effort of Tom Liberatore at the AFL Combine in Canberra.  Peni also led the beep test with 12.11. 

2011 now sees Peni and his Tongan ‘brothers’ taking the field in senior competition with the Tongan national side.  In matches against PNG, the Tongan’s are still off the pace both at senior and junior level.  Malakai hopes this gap will close over the next 5 years. 

For now it’s still relatively early days.  Malakai lists the kicking skills as a challenge to teach and learn, but, with about 5000 kids being exposed to the game, there are many now learning young.  The regular clinics run over a 6 week timeframe, generally training twice a week and a Saturday morning ‘scratch match’.  However, there are limitations and the need now is for materials, balls, jumpers and the like to help game development go to the next level.  Also there is the need for people, for coaching, umpiring and other roles.  It seems that there’s a double edged sword to early success.  What is clear is that the AFL has successfully established a pathway for South Pacific talent, and as has been reported recently, the profile of Israel Folau has helped bring more players to the game.

Grounds and venues are also a challenge, but, a challenge shared in common with the cricketers of Tonga.  Rugby fields are the order of the day.  Even when Tonga hosted the 2010 Oceania Cup for U16s, the venue was across a couple of Rugby fields.  For the International Cup campaign, Tonga arrived 2 weeks early to take the chance to train and prepare on full sized ovals.  Malakai paid tribute to the Campbelltown Blues football club for making their ground available and providing coaching assistance, although unfortunately it was whilst playing with the Blues that Peni’s brother Sosiua injured his ankle. 

With Peni signed up to GWS on an international scholarship, he will move to Australia in 2012 to play footy, sponsored by the GWS.  Malakai hopes up to half a dozen Tongan players might be able to make their way to Australia annually in years to come.   After the IC11 WFN will run a fuller review of footy in Tonga and the hopes for the future.  Then and now, anyone able to offer help can contact Ed McCowan via ‘edward.mccowan@gmail.com’.

I would like to thank Ed McCowan, Peni and Malakai Mahina for their time and assistance.

Footnote: Aftert his interview, on Game Day 2, Tonga pushed 5th seeded Nauru all the way to the final siren, and Peni took a spectacular pack mark and goaled under pressure.

Peni gets his kick away under pressure from PNG

Izzy about to get company?  Yes, Peni to join GWS Giants.