Olsen Filipaina
Filipaina in 2021
Personal information
Full nameOlsen Orekewa Filipaina
Born(1957-04-23)23 April 1957
Kaikohe, New Zealand
Died10 February 2022(2022-02-10) (aged 64)
Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight130 kg (20 st 7 lb)
PositionCentre, Five-eighth
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
19??–79 Mangere East
1980–84 Balmain Tigers 77 19 83 0 225
1985 Eastern Suburbs 8 0 21 0 42
1986–87 North Sydney Bears 18 2 24 0 56
Total 103 21 128 0 323
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Auckland
1977–86 New Zealand 28 6 44 0 108
1988 Western Samoa
Source: [1]

Olsen Orekewa Filipaina[2] (23 April 1957 – 10 February 2022) was a professional rugby league footballer who represented both New Zealand and Western Samoa. He played for the Balmain Tigers, Eastern Suburbs, and North Sydney Bears during his New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) premiership career from 1980 to 1987.

Early life

Filipaina was born in Kaikohe, New Zealand, on 23 April 1957.[3] His mother was Māori and his father was from Samoa.[4] He was raised in Māngere,[5] and started his career with the Mangere East Hawks in the Auckland Rugby League competition.[3][6]

Playing career

While playing for the Hawks, Filipaina was named the best back in the competition in 1977, before winning the Rothville Trophy as player of the year the following season.[6]

Filipaina moved to Sydney in 1980, joining the Balmain Tigers. He spent five seasons at the club, playing in 82 games and amassing 225 points. After a one-year spell at the Eastern Suburbs Roosters in 1985, he played for two years with the North Sydney Bears.[6] During his time in the NSWRL Premiership, Filipaina claimed he suffered from racial abuse and sledging.[7] He later captained Ryde-Eastwood to victory in the inaugural Metropolitan Cup final in 1990.[8]

Representative career

An Auckland representative, Filipaina was part of the Auckland side that defeated Great Britain, Australia and France within the span of 20 days in 1977.[9]

Filipaina was first picked for the New Zealand national rugby league team in 1977, becoming the first junior player from the Hawks to be selected.[6] In 1983 and again in 1985, he was picked for the Kiwis despite playing in the Sydney reserve grade competition. On both occasions, he played a pivotal role in the Kiwis defeating Australia.[10] He was named the man of the series in 1985.[11] He also made six appearances at the 1977 and 1985–1986 editions of the Rugby League World Cup.[6] He eventually retired from the Kiwis in 1987.[12]

In total, Filipaina played in 50 matches for New Zealand, including 28 tests where he scored 108 points.[11] As of 2010, his 108 points places him sixth on the point scoring list.[13]

Filipaina subsequently changed his national representation to Western Samoa, his father's country of origin. He captained the team in the 1988 Pacific Cup,[14] as well as its inaugural test match that same year.[6]

Later years

Filipaina remained in Sydney after his retirement, living in Ryde. He worked the same garbage run the Balmain Tigers helped him get when he first moved to Australia.[10] From this job he received the nickname “The Galloping Garbo” during his playing days.[4][5]

Filipaina was named one of New Zealand Rugby League's "Legends of League" in 2007.[4][15] His biography, The Big O: The Life and Times of Olsen Filipaina, was published in April 2020 and recounted the racial abuse he endured throughout his career.[5][16]

Personal life

Filipaina was the son of a Samoan boxer and a Maori mother. He was born in Kaikohe, New Zealand.[17] He has five children: Louise, John, Alysha, Quin and Jazmine, and five grandchildren: Tamati, Matahi, Ignatius, Kaimana and Octavia. Two of his brothers, Jerry and Alf, are involved in politics in Auckland.[18] Filipaina's son, Quin, played in the Harold Matthews Cup side for the Tigers.[19] Another son, John, was arrested in 2006 and charged with robbery.[20][21]

In mid-January 2022, Filipaina was admitted to Westmead Hospital with a stomach infection. His condition slowly deteriorated and he died of kidney failure on 10 February 2022, 72 days short of his 65th birthday.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. ↑ FILIPAINA, Olsen Orekewa 1977 – 86 – Kiwi #529 nzleague.co.nz
  3. 1 2 "'He was a fighter' – Kiwis great Olsen Filipaina dies, aged 64". 1 News. Australian Associated Press. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Rugby league-'Galloping Garbo' Filipaina dies aged 64". Reuters. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Kiwis rugby league legend Olsen Filipaina has died in a Sydney hospital". Stuff. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "New Zealand rugby league great Olsen Filipaina has died at the age of 64". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  7. ↑ Racism ruined career: NZ league great 9 News, 3 May 2006
  8. ↑ YDH Feature: Olsen Filipaina rleague.com, 22 October 2008
  9. ↑ Warriors To Mark 30th Anniversary Of Auckland's Unique Grand Slam Archived 11 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine rleague.com, 19 August 2007
  10. 1 2 Olsen the premier inspiration for picking Talau Sydney Morning Herald, 22 July 2003
  11. 1 2 Umbers, Lee (4 July 2010). "Olsen bumps off racism over the Tasman". Sunday News. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  12. ↑ Thomas, Jackson (25 August 2019). "Kiwis legend Olsen Filipaina finished with nothing after playing career". Stuff. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  13. ↑ Playing Records nzrl.co.nz
  14. ↑ John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908–2008. Huia Publishers. pp. 252–255. ISBN 9781869693312.
  15. ↑ Legends of League nzrl.co.nz
  16. ↑ Skene, Patrick (9 April 2020). The Big O: The Life and Times of Olsen Filipaina. Upstart Press. ISBN 9781988516844.
  17. ↑ Skene, Patrick (2020). The big O. Auckland: Mower. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-988516-84-4.
  18. ↑ Christian Party to Target South Ak Electorates scoop.co.nz, 17 October 2007
  19. ↑ Sons of legends step up The Daily Telegraph, 16 February 2007
  20. ↑ "League great's son on hijack charges". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 26 June 2006. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  21. ↑ Police foil armoured van heist Sydney Morning Herald, 25 June 2006
  22. ↑ "New Zealand rugby league legend Olsen Filipaina dies after battling kidney failure". The Daily Telegraph. 10 February 2022.
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