Fuifui Moimoi
Nuku'alofa, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Weight | 16 st 7 lb (105 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 1 May 2022 |
Fuifui Moana Moimoi[3] (born 26 September 1979)[note 1] is a rugby league footballer who plays as a prop.
He most notably played for the
Background
He was born in
His brother-in-law is
Playing career
2000s
A
He made his first grade debut for the
In the
On 10 September 2007, News.com.au reported Australian selectors have inquired about the international eligibility of Moimoi. Moimoi was born in Tonga, grew up in New Zealand. Moimoi is eligible to play for Tonga as well as either Australia or New Zealand.
On Monday 24 September 2007, the New Zealand Rugby League association confirmed Fuifui Moimoi's inclusion into the Kiwis train-On squad to take on Australia, Great Britain and France for the end of season tests. Moimoi made his debut for New Zealand in a 58–0 defeat by Australia in Wellington on 14 October 2007. He was selected to go on the 2007 All Golds Tour.
At club level, MoiMoi made 21 appearances for Parramatta in the 2007 NRL season as the club reached another preliminary final but were defeated by Melbourne 26–10.[11]
He was named in the New Zealand training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.[12] He was also named in the Tonga squad.[13] Moimoi was not selected for the final New Zealand squad, and because he had recently played for New Zealand, he was ruled ineligible for the Tongan side. He contested his right to play for Tonga in court, but to no avail.[14]
In the 2009 NRL season, Moimoi was part of the Parramatta side which made it all the way to the grand final. In the final, Moimoi scored a memorable try in the second half where he beat five players to make it to the try line and score in the corner.[15]
After the
2010s
On 20 April 2010, Moimoi signed a further 2-year contract to continue to play with the Eels until the end of 2012.
In June 2012, Moimoi was reported as wishing to continue his football career until the end of the 2016 NRL season.[19]
Moimoi was selected to play for
Later in the year, Moimoi played for Tonga in their unsuccessful 2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign. Moimoi played in all three of Tonga's matches.
In 2014, Moimoi decided to retire from the
On 30 November 2014, it was confirmed that Moimoi had signed a one-year deal with the English club
In 2015, Moimoi spoke to the media about his time at Parramatta and how he had felt betrayed by coach
"It was the hardest thing I've ever been through in my career," he said. "It made me feel so angry. Brad said he had to pick the best 17, but I know I was still better than some of those players he selected." Moimoi's hurt was compounded because while many of his teammates were said to be unhappy about his treatment he only heard from Peni Terepo, Nathan Cayless and Jarryd Hayne: "Some of the boys who I thought were my good mates didn't even call me to see how I was going."[21]
Moimoi left Leigh once the club was promoted to the Super League to join the newly founded
Later in the month, Moimoi switched to rugby union playing for Bradford & Bingley RFC debuting for them on 30 January 2018. He joined the club through his relationship with second-team coach Richard Tafa,[24] playing for them on a week-by-week basis until he found a rugby league club. After helping the club avoid relegation from the sixth-tier North 1 East,[25] Moimoi made his return to rugby league on 10 April by signing with Workington Town in Betfred League 1.[26]
2020s
Moimoi signed for the Rochdale Hornets at the reported age of 40[27] and made his debut on 25 April 2021 coming off the bench in their pre-season game against the North Wales Crusaders. On 20 July 2023, Moimoi signed a contract to join amateur Cumbrian side Millom.[28]
Notes
- ^ a b Most sources state that Moimoi was born on 26 September 1979,[3][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] though some sources indicate 1980 as his year of birth.[27][36][37][28] The Sydney Morning Herald commented in 2006: "The enigmatic prop's age is a topic of debate amongst teammates after he changed his date of birth, listed last year as 1980 but now down as 1979."[38] Workington Town listed his date of birth as 29 September 1979,[39] which is not supported by other sources.
References
- ^ "Fiufiu Moimoi". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Fuifui Moimoi". Rugby League Project. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Fuifui Moimoi". Parramatta Eels. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007.
- ^ AAP (21 April 2006). "Eels enigma Moimoi ready to make return". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ Matt Logue (8 February 2016). "Super Bowl 50: Brother-in-law of rugby league star Fuifui Moimoi, Star Lotulelei, to start for Carolina Panthers". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Yo ho ho and ninety years done" Superleague, Issue 1 2010. p.27.
- ^ Stevenson, Andrew (3 October 2009). "No razzle-dazzle without Fuifui". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Fearsome Fui the quiet assassin". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Nathan Hindmarsh on Parramatta's last table topping team where his former teammates are now". Fox Sports.
- ^ Kilgallon, Steve. (19 September 2010) NZRL vows to avoid flip-flops – league – sport. Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved on 17 June 2013.
- ^ "Melbourne v Parramatta". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Kiwis select Sonny Bill". Sky Sports. 8 August 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ^ "Samoa, Tonga and Fiji name squads". BBC Sports. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
- ^ "Former Kiwis fail in bid to play for Tonga at Rugby League world cup". Radio New Zealand. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ Josh Massoud (5 October 2009). "Melbourne Storm beat Parramatta Eels in 2009 NRL Grand Final". Herald-Sun. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ Read, Brent; McDonald, Margie (6 October 2009). "Fuifui Moimoi cleared to play for New Zealand". The Australian. Archived from the original on 9 October 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ "Fuifui Moimoi re-signs with Eels". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ McKendry called into Kiwis for injured Moimoi Archived 1 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine NZRL, 11 October 2010
- News Limited. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
- ^ "Fuifui Moimoi Extends His Stay With His Famileigh". Leigh Centurions. 20 March 2015. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ Lane, Daniel (9 May 2015). "Parramatta Eels warrior Fuifui Moimoi can't forgive Brad Arthur's 'betrayal'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "Toronto Wolfpack part ways with Dave Taylor, Fuifui Moimoi reportedly following off-field incident". News.com.au. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- Sporting News. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Martin Whitcombe: Fuifui Moimoi's 's debut was just fine". Telegraph & Argus. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "Fuifui Moimoi is instant Bees hero as they climb the table". Telegraph & Argus. 4 February 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "Fuifui Moimoi leaving Bradford & Bingley to join Workington Town". Telegraph & Argus. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Rochdale Hornets Sign Former International Fuifui Moimoi". rugby-league.com. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ a b Walker, Callum (20 July 2023). "Fuifui Moimoi makes shock decision to sign for UK club aged 42". Total Rugby League.
- ^ Kilgallon, Steve (23 October 2009). "My my, Moimoi it's Fuifui". Stuff. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Fuifui Moimoi". Parramatta Eels. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014.
- ^ Crawley, Paul (13 August 2014). "NRL's oldest player Lote Tuqiri says current Rabbitohs backline is among best he's played in". Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
Tuqiri turns 35 on September 23 which makes him the oldest man in the NRL, just three days ahead of Fuifui Moimoi who was born on September 26, 1979
- ^ "8 – FUIFUI MOIMOI". Leigh Centurions. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Coach Leon Pryce singles out Workington Town skipper Oliver Wilkes for praise". News & Star. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
Wilkes, at 38, was the second oldest player in the game – Town team-mate Fuifui Moimoi is eight months older – but put in a particularly strong shift.
- ^ Rugby Football League (22 September 2019). "Four days short of his 40th birthday, Fuifui Moimoi has just played the full 80 minutes for a depleted @WorkingtonTown side this afternoon 👏". twitter.com. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Dean, John; Clarke, George (11 February 2020). "Exile Files: Fuifui Moimoi's new deal at age 40, why Dogs' signing Luke Thompson will star in NRL". Fox Sports. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Durable former Kiwis cult hero prop Fuifui Moimoi to play on at 41". Stuff. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Campton, Nick (26 September 2022). "'If I could live one year forever it would be 2009': Inside Parramatta's last grand final journey". ABC. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Eels' Moimoi on verge of 2006 NRL debut". Sydney Morning Herald. 21 April 2006. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "25: FUIFUI MOIMOI". Workington Town. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.