Australian rules football in Tonga
Australian rules football in Tonga has its origins in local schools the 1980s, but has been played on an organised basis only since 2003, when the game's governing body, the Tonga Australian Football Association was founded.
| Australian rules football in Tonga | |
|---|---|
| Country | Tonga |
| Governing body | Tonga Australian Football Association |
| National team(s) | Tonga |
| First played | 1985, Haʻutu-Fāhefa, Tongatapu |
| Registered players | 150 (total) 50 (adult) 100 (junior) |
National competitions | |
There are currently approximately 150 or more Tongans regularly playing Australian rules football.[1]
Tonga's senior team competed internationally at their 2011 Australian Football International Cup debut achieving the highly creditable position of ninth out of 18 teams defeating many more fancied teams..
History
The first Australian rules football believed to have been played in Tonga was during the Christmas break of 1985–1986, when a Melbourne teacher named Denis Towers visited the country briefly with his Tongan-born wife, and played the game with some 40 Tongan men from the local villages of Hautu-Fahefa on the grounds of the local primary school.
Further, during the late 1990s, Ewen Gracie, a former Melbourne primary school and sports teacher, also spent a few years employed at Liahona High School, in Tonga, during which time he also made time to teach young Tongans the skills of the Australian football game.
A schools competition has been played yearly since then, including a tour to Samoa. Development officers from Australia have visited to islands to assist in creating development programs.
In 2006 the first TAFA PTH junior scholarship was awarded to Alex Fungavaka who was placed at Norwood Morialta High School in Adelaide.[2]
In 2023, numbers were increasing under development officer Malakai Mahina with sending a view to sending national teams to the 2024 International Cup.[3]
International competition
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Black Marlin |
|---|---|
| Governing body | AFL Tonga |
| International Cup | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2011 |
| Best result | 6th (2014) |
The senior men's representative team is known as the Black Marlins and hosted Australian amateur team the Fitzroy Reds in late 2006. A team representing the Melbourne Tongan community also competed at the 2004 Australian Football Multicultural Cup.
Although the Black Marlins could not commit to the full draw of the 2008 Australian Football International Cup, the Tongan side did arrive in Australia and participate in the multicultural division of the competition against Team Africa.
Notable players with connections to Tonga
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David Rodan playing for Port Adelaide
Israel Folau (left) playing for the Giants
| Currently on an AFL senior list |
| Player | Connection to Tonga | AFL Years* | AFL Matches* | AFL Goals* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Curtis | Mother[4] | 2022- | 10 | 6 | |
| Israel Folau | Both parents[5] | 2011 - 2012 | 13 | 2 | |
| David Rodan | Both parents[6][7][8] | 2002 - 2013 | 150 | 131 | |
| Fatui Ataata | Born[9] | 1983-1988 | - | 35 games in the Collingwood Football Club reserves between 1983-8.[9] | |
References
- World Footy Census - Summary
- Young Tongan loving his footy and time in Adelaide
- AFL player numbers on the rise in Tonga with the 2024 International Cup on the radar By Richard Ewart for ABC Pacific
- Five things to know about Paul Curtis by Mitchell Jones for North Media 23 April 2022
- Devery, Pat (1 June 2010). "AFL Coup:Folau joins GWS". Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- 118 players with multicultural background on AFL lists
- "Former players from all corners of the world celebrate AFL multicultural round". Herald Sun. 20 July 2014.
- "Latest AFL News, features and breaking AFL News". Sportal. 9 October 2014. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- Meeting Hafey gives Melbourne Rebel a cause