Star Kiwi centre has misgivings
[PA Auckland | For the next three years, (Olsen Fiiipaina, the star (centre of the Kiwi rugby (league team will be available (for New Zealand teams if (required but he has a mis(giving that he may be deipriving a more deserving [player of a Kiwi jersey. The 122-year-old Mangere East [captain who topped the I Auckland premier try-scor-ling and goal-kicking tally in the last season will leave to join the Sydney club, Balmain on January 2. Training for his new club with whom he has signed for four years at a sum believed to be in the vicinity of $25,000, will begin the day after he arrives in Australia. “There has been no specific training schedule mapped out for me but I am to begin the programme on January 3,” said Fiiipaina last evening. While he has no objection to fulfilling his obligations to the New Zealand Rugby League which waived the requirement that he stand down for 12 months before resuming play in another
di country Fiiipaina said he [would feel “funny” if he ;, were to play for the Kiwis rl again. “Playing for Balmain /[and living in Australia. 1 » would feel that I am deprivf ing another New Zealander - from earning a Kiwi jersey. “It doesn’t matter who it ? is, myself, Kurt or Dane So- ; rensen, if the player no longt er lives in New' Zealand it ‘ is unfair to call him back - when a local player who has i trained hard to make the > Kiwis misses out. “Unless i New Zealand begins to build 5 on its home-grown players s living in this country 7 , footi ball standards will never ■ develop,” added Filipiana. [ Present intentions of the . nuggety centre is to return to New Zealand — and the ; Mangere East club — after ■ the expiration of his four- . year contract with Balmain. I “I’m a club man, if I don’t continue with Balmain, then i it will be a return to Man- , gere East the club I started ’ with. But then, I may like • Australia so much that I I might just settle there, foot, • ball or no football,” Fili- ■ paina said.
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Press, 27 December 1979, Page 26
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357Star Kiwi centre has misgivings Press, 27 December 1979, Page 26
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