Eteuati Toala or ‘Eddie’ as he is known around the Huntly Football Netball Club arrived in Australia on March 28th 2010.
Eddie is 21 years old and stands at 6ft 3” tall. He left his parents, step sister and brother back in Auckland, New Zealand to visit his Aunty Lua Ross who currently resides here in Huntly.
Back in Auckland Eddie played volleyball and NRL. His local NRL club is Mount Richmond. From there he was selected to play for the New Zealand Warriors NRL Academy team in 2007 / 2008.
Upon picking up his niece from the Huntly Primary School one day he noticed the Huntly Football Ground at Strauch Reserve and he turned up at training one night not knowing anyone here in Australia or the club.
Having never played Aussie Rules before, Eddie found the biggest challenge was getting use to the shape of the ball, kicking it and marking it. Eddie says “Aussie Rules is not as physical as NRL”. Eddie slotted into our Reserves and soon became an integral part of the team and the club. He enjoys the “peaceful country life” in Huntly a far cry from what he is use to in his home city Auckland. “The people here are very friendly and easy going” says Eddie.
Eddie has quickly made friends around the club and is well liked by everyone. He has been a valued member of the Huntly Football Netball Club and has adapted to Aussie rules very quickly.
Unfortunately in Round 8, while playing in very wet and windy conditions, Eddie rolled his ankle. He broke his tibia and tore the surrounding ligaments. He has been on crutches and out of work for 7 weeks now.
The club wishes Eddie a speedy recovery and hopes to see you back on the pitch one day soon.
Best of Luck!
Last Modified on 16/07/2010 19:02