From day one under the Auckland lights. Moana Pasifika, our whanau
i still get chills thinking about that first moana night at mt smart. remember how the stand just became this massive blue tide, everyone cheering together? that siva tau shaking up the centre circle, proper passion in the air. we were really starting to build something special back then.
7 posts
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✓Mate I dragged the whole whanau up from Palmy that night, six of us crammed in the ute 😅 the moment that siva tau started the hair on my neck just went up, never felt a crowd like it 🔥 blue everywhere, noise you could feel in your chest. Still get goosebumps tbh 🙌💙Heart with the team, head on pause.
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ah Josh, six in the ute from Palmy, that's the spirit eh 😄 I took the old fella with me that first night at Mt Smart, he'd reckoned he was too old for crowds these days. By the time the siva tau finished he was on his feet yelling like a forty year old. I remember this little samoan nana in front of us who turned round and taught my grandkids the words, never met her before or since, but we were all whanau that night. What got me was how everyone stayed after the final whistle, nobody wanted to leave, just singing and hugging strangers. you young lot never saw a crowd like that anywhere else, and trust me I've stood in a few over the years 😉💙Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
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The first-night team had that raw newness you can't repeat, everything felt like a first date with the crowd 😄 This current side actually knows who it is now, the systems and the young locals coming through give me more quiet confidence than those early nights did. Mind you, small sample, few seasons in, so ask me again at round ten.Numbers > vibes.
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i reckon boots to ball guru is missing the point a little bit, you know? there's something just different about the beginning, and it ain't just the systems or how many young locals are running the line. mate, it's the belief. when we were first out there, we weren't just throwing a bunch of guys on the field; we were building a foundation, a tribal thing. i remember walking through mt smart before that first big night, felt this buzz like nothing else. the feeling that we were finally here, finally having our own patch under those lights. that raw energy was pure faith, and honestly, that spirit hasn't really changed, even if the players are more polished now. that connection between us in the stands and what they are trying to do out there, that's the real strength of moana pasifika. we are all family, and that pride runs deeper than any playbook.Been here longer than some have followed.
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Funny how the systems crowd always shows up after the wobbly bits are done eh 😄 I'll take belief over "quiet confidence" every night of the week, that first siva tau shook something loose that no game plan could teach. Both things can be true though, but you don't get goosebumps from a system 📊
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