The Star: July 20, 2017

42 Thursday July 20 2017
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Spoilt for choice: League or rugby
• By Gordon Findlater
TEENAGER PATRICK Elia is
a new breed of young footballer
who has both the rugby union
and league codes at his feet.
The 17-year-old, who has
starred in this year’s UC Championship,
has a lucrative option
to switch codes and play NRL in
the future, or stick with rugby.
Elia, who is the full-back for St
Thomas’ of Canterbury College,
has signed a contract with the
Warriors and plans to move to
Auckland in November. However,
he is also being sought after
by the Crusaders, who recently
selected him in their under-18
side.
Elia is not the first to be in
this situation. Cruz Topai-Aveai
– last year’s UC Championship
MVP – switched codes to join
the South Sydney Rabbitohs and
is now with the Cronulla Sharks
under-20 side.
If Elia goes to the Warriors,
he will join one of his first XV
teammates.
St Thomas’ No 8 Seth Tauamiti
has joined the Warriors on a
three-year contract. The two
would also become housemates
at Warriors House – a home
away from home for the club’s
most promising junior players.
St Thomas’ connection with
the NRL club doesn’t end there.
Warriors South Island talent
scout Andrew Auimatagi is a
teacher and coach at the school.
Although Elia has signed with
the Warriors, due to an under-18
rule in the NRL, he could potentially
pull the pin if a more
desirable offer comes up.
“Playing any kind of professional
rugby is a dream. It could
still go either way depending on
what’s going to be best for me,”
said Elia.
NRL player agent and former
Kiwis coach Frank Endacott says
it’s no surprise that NRL clubs
are targeting Christchurch union
players.
“The Canberra Raiders actually
rang me last night suggesting
that they’re coming across and
they’ll be looking at rugby union
players,” said Endacott.
Both codes have their pros
and cons at the developmental
level straight out of secondary
school. However, it’s understood
the Warriors have been able to
offer more of an immediately
beneficial package money-wise
than the Crusaders.
“It seems like, in rugby league,
they reward you first and then
you train hard. With rugby
(union), you have to train hard
and then you’ll get the reward,”
said Elia.
After cracking St Thomas’ first
XV as a year 9, he has progressed
in leaps and bounds. At the
weekend, Elia was part of the
Crusaders Junior Knights team
which lost 10-25 to the Hurricanes
under-18 team.
• By Gordon Findlater and
Andrew King
TALENTED MIDDLE distance
runner Nick Moulai should be
lining up for a 1500m race in the
Bahamas today – but instead he’ll
be playing video games in his
new moon boot.
Moulai, 17, was selected to
run for New Zealand in the
1500m and 3000m events at
the Junior Commonwealth
Games. However, his dreams of
DECISION: Patrick Elia has both codes chasing his services.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
competing in the Bahamas were
left in tatters when he partially
tore his plantaris tendon while
competing in a 3000m race
in Hamilton earlier this month.
“I got almost 2km in and then
it kind of just popped. It was
obviously very frustrating. I’m
staying positive, though, and I
like to think that there will be
bigger and better things to come
in the future,” said Moulai.
He won’t just be playing video
He also has from strong family
links to union. His three older
brothers all played for St Thomas’
first XV. His brother Elia Elia
has since gone on to play for
Manu Samoa and English club
Harlequins.
Last year, Elia got his first taste
of rugby league when he played
for St Thomas at the national
secondary schools tournament
in Auckland.
“That was my first ever game
of league. I was just a fill-in
because they were short of numbers,”
said Elia.
Once he was there, it didn’t
take long for the scouts to take
notice.
“I played pretty well up there
and from that tournament I got
two offers, one from the Warriors
and one from the Cowboys,”
said Elia.
From there, he signed the deal
with the Warriors. However,
the Crusaders Academy are also
after his talents and are hopeful
he may decide to stick with the
15-man code.
games. While Moulai has been
in the moon boot, he’s been
doing aqua jogging to keep up his
cardio fitness.
“It’s so boring,” he jokes.
“It’s just lap after lap, so you
end up finding people to go with
so you can talk through it.”
The St Bede’s College student
was a medal hope in the 3000m
at the Junior Commonwealth
Games. In December, he won
the 3000m with a time of 8min
The money factor
The gap in pay scale
between the top NRL and
Super Rugby stars isn’t
massive. However, earlier
this year Kieran Read was
reported to become the
first All Black to secure a $1
million a year contract. In the
NRL there are five players
believed to be earning in
excess of that figure.
Highest paid NRL players
•Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea
Eagles) – $1.3 million.
•Johnathan Thurston
(Cowboys) – $1.2 million.
•Billy Slater (Storm) – $1.2
million.
•Jarryd Hayne (Titans) – $1.2
million.
•Cameron Smith (Storm) –
$1.1 million.
It’s believed the deadline for
Elia to make a final decision is
before the New Zealand Secondary
Schools rugby squad is
selected later in the year.
As it stands, Elia says he is
leaning in the direction of the
Warriors. However, if he does so,
he says the option of returning to
union in the future isn’t off the
cards.
The Warriors also recently
secured the services of another
local youngster. Linwood Keas
player Graeme Patu-Vaega’au
will join the Warriors in November.
Junior Commonwealth Games medal hopeful lands in a moon boot
16.77sec, shattering a nine-yearold
age group national record at
the national secondary schools
track and field championships
in Auckland. That same event is
what Moulai’s attention will turn
to after he has recovered from his
injury.
•Another Christchurch
medal hope at the Junior
Commonwealth Games, Hannah
Bates, begins her campaign in the
pool today.