A young Parramatta Eel from Ngāruawāhia has made an immediate splash across the Tasman on NRL debut.
Twenty-one-year-old Te Hurinui ‘Apa’ Twidle’s two tries in two minutes against Benji Marshall’s Wests Tigers on Monday night lit up a packed Sydney stadium and drew a truckload of attention.
Patara Berryman (Waikato, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), who has known Twidle and his whānau since he was a kid, said the achievement reflected the support around him.
“Tuatahi ake e mihi atu ana ki a ia, ka mutu ki ōna mātua me tōna whānau i kaha poipoi akiaki, manaaki nei i a ia, kia taea ai e ia ki te whakapakari i ōna pūkenga, kia taea ai ia ki te eke ki tērā taumata.”
“I hurō mātou katoa o Waikato i te pai o tēnei tamaiti o mātou i eke ki ngā taumata tikatike ki te kara matamata, ki te tihi o angitū, arā ko te NRL tērā.”
But what really won hearts was how his biggest fan almost didn’t see it.
Twidle had told his mum to stay in Aotearoa and save her money, never thinking he’d actually take the field.
“I messaged my mum at the start of the week when I was named in the 19 (extended squad),” he told Fox League post-match.
“She said, ‘Do you want me to come over?’
I said, ‘Nah, don’t worry about it. Don’t waste your money — I’m probably not even going to get on.’”
Luckily, “the aunties” got involved, said Twidle, making sure his mum jumped on a plane, just in case her boy played.
“She was at my sister’s netball game. The aunties were telling her to get your backside over here — go and watch him,” he said.
“She booked her flight last night, and she came this morning. I’m lucky to have her here,” said a beaming Twidle.
Berryman said the haka performed for Twidle after the match reflected how Māori celebrate success.
“Koia tātou tērā i te iwi Māori nē, mā te haka e tautoko nei i tētehi kua eke ki ngā taumata e hake i te mea ko te haka ka waiho ki te Matatini, ka waiho rānei mō... mō ngā tangihanga, engari he mea ora anō hoki te haka, he mea whakanui i te tangata kua eke ki tētahi taumata.”
The Eels lost a 22–20 golden point thriller.
But nothing will take away the joy of one excited Eels whānau.
