When Filipo Daugunu first kicked a soccer ball in the middle of Vanua Levu, Fiji, you can bet he would not have thought in his wildest dreams of reaching greater heights, where he is today, playing in elite Australian rugby wearing the green and gold armour.
Someone once said that “on any given day, in any given village, somewhere in the remotest parts of Fiji, is a Fijian child sleeping on a floor waiting to be discovered”. And so begins the story of many Fijian players from those very remote locations across the country.
The story that unfolds is a story born from struggle, growing up with dreams and aspirations of coming abroad to a life of rugby, first and foremost with the intention of creating a better life for their families. One only needs to hear the story of former Wallabies Acura Niuqila, Qele Ratu, Ili Tabua, Lote Tuqiri, Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete and so many more to empathise in the journey to greatness.
Legend status according to Fijians is wearing either the national colours, being a Wallaby or an All Black. Period.
I was there when the amazing King of Sevens, Waisale Serevi, once told a group of young people during a youth meeting in Fiji’s capital, Suva, how he walked for three hours just to get to the grounds for training while playing for the national team, as he had no bus-fare.
Upon his return if it rained heavily, he would sit at the bus stop in the suburb of Nabua waiting for a bus driver to let him on for free. You could almost hear a pin drop in the room as he told the awestruck group of young people, how he would position himself on the seat at the bus stop so that when the bus pulled into the bus bay, it would stop directly in his sight.
He would then signal to the driver quietly, and the bus driver would either give him a nod or a shake of the head. No training gear, socks or shorts that were either hand-me-downs or borrowed, but with a hopeful heart and a spirit full of dreams and aspirations.
Filipo Daugunu. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
This paints a picture of where Filipo Daugunu comes from. A small island in the Pacific that has produced some of the greatest rugby league and union players in the world. The life of Fijian rugby players is not complicated, they love to keep things simple. Showing them how to do things, not what to do, is key to their learning and development.
When this comes into alignment, like any other player on the field, life is sweet, all is well and even better if Fijian food is thrown in for good measure.
You can rest assured that what will be going through Daugunu’s mind when he enters Eden Park on Sunday donning one of the most vied jerseys in the world is simply immense humility and gratefulness. Put simply, he would be looking up to the skies and thankful for a lifetime opportunity, just like those who have come before him.
And every child with dreams and aspirations in Fiji will have their eyes glued to the television with pride and happiness. Not bad for a soccer-playing kid, who waited to be discovered and now his time has surely arrived.
Panana split
Roar Rookie
Good to see Australia providing so many Fijians with an opportunity to play international rugby.
sheek
Roar Guru
Tia, I first saw Fiji in 1969 at the South Pacific Games in Port Moresby, where my family was living at the time. I was back home on school hols from boarding school in Sydney. I had just completed my first year of playing rugby, but I had never seen anything like these guys. Their wingers threw gridiron passes across the field from one wing to the other. They beat PNG 88-3 in the final (3 pt tries), which I think may have been their closest game of the tournament! Fiji, Samoa & Tonga have small populations. It would make more sense having players of Fiji, Samoa & Tonga heritage residing in NZ & Australia moving back to play for the islands, rather than having them move to NZ or Australia to seek their fame & fortune. That’s how Samoa became a world power (briefly) in the 1990s, by calling on their NZ born & reared players of Samoan heritage. But sadly, the European ‘big 6’ are terrified of being shown up by the tiny Pacific islands. So they divide & conquer. The world really is a*se about a lot of the time.
Tia Roko
Roar Rookie
Wow thanks Sheek for adding value to the discussion and the insight: )
sheek
Roar Guru
And if it wasn't for the selfishness, greed, & short-sightedness of the International Rugby Board, that now erroneously calls itself World Rugby, most of these guys would still be playing for Fiji, if the international community could be bothered to give Fiji a decent test playing itinerary. But they can't, & won't because, like I said, they're selfish to protect their own interests, greedy to seek money for the 'inside family' & short-sighted about the bigger picture. I don't know that two wrongs can make a right that these guys can then go & throw on a black or gold or red & white hooped jersey, as a second best option, but that is what we now have in many cases. The rugby world is a better place for the inclusion of Pacific Islander players. But it would be even better if they could like anyone else, choose their island nation as their first choice to represent, instead of someone else as their second choice. But the old guard countries of Europe can't cope with the idea of Fiji, Samoa & Tonga consistently making the final 8 of the world cup at their woeful expense. So they conquer & divide the talent.
Manoa Rasigatale
Guest
Tia......Dina taucoko (all true) what you've said about the struggle Fijian players went through in life to reach that level of achievement. Congratulations.......Filipo Daugunu: aim for the sky keep on shooting high. Go for it.
HiKa
Roar Rookie
I know I should have just gone on by, but ... Sorry Dean, but you've triggered me. "I’m bias" should be either of, "I'm biased" or,"I have a bias."
HiKa
Roar Rookie
Tio, thank you for writing this. It really does help to get a picture of where the journey starts for many of our Fijian footballers. And here's hoping Filipo and Marika both scores tries again on Sunday!
Don
Roar Rookie
Lovely Tio. Thanks. Filipo has certainly become a fan favourite at the Reds. It’ll be very exciting next season with Suliasi Vunivalu up here on the other wing at the Reds. CFS might be looking for a spot elsewhere.
Dean
Roar Rookie
Thank you for the wonderful article Tio. Filipo is another wonderful representative of a beautiful people and country, that we are fortunate to have wearing our national jersey. I’m bias towards Fijians, served with them in the Military far, far away from our nations of birth in a different nations uniform, loyalty was a given. Tough, brave and caring. Bula!
Mungbean74
Roar Rookie
Yep, on their Instagram page. I like his cheeky smile!
Jak
Guest
I spent some time on Vanau Levu and was always amazed at the amount of games being played on rugby days. Savusavu was abuzz those times. It was great to see.
Ethan
Guest
Thanks Tia. Love watching this bloke play, and great to get a sense of where they come from.
jameswm
Roar Guru
He is an absolute dynamo. I sure hope he has a long and successful career. Inspiring write-up too.
Charlie Turner
Guest
He moved to Brisbane late 2016 to play club rugby and qualified in 2020 via the WR residency pathway 8.1 (C).
Armchair Halfback
Roar Rookie
Thanks Tia, loved it! I first spotted Filipo playing for Qld Country in the NRC a couple of years ago, he's a wonderful player and an awesome young man. Lovely story about Waisale Serevi, thanks. On a tangent Semi Radrada is tearing it up in the UK. Probably the best centre in the work atm and a joy to watch.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
Very nice write up. As I’ve not heard of him before this year, and without malice, can you tell me how he became Australian?
Bobby
Roar Rookie
Tia, lovely article about a lovely bloke. From all I’ve heard from players is that he is very humble and grateful for the opportunities. Thanks.
Tia Roko
Roar Rookie
Thank you so much for taking the time to read!
Tia Roko
Roar Rookie
Australians and your random acts of kindness, am sure they would have appreciated it greatly. Thank you for sharing. Vinaka vakalevu.
Tia Roko
Roar Rookie
His speech is on the Wallabies Facebook page, its quite moving:)