Fuifui Moimoi (born 26 September 1980) is a
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who plays as a .
He most notably played for the
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League.
The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...
in the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
(NRL) from 2004 to 2014, in addition to playing for
Leigh Centurions
The Leigh Leopards are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England, who compete in the Betfred Super League.
The club was founded in 1878, and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern R ...
in the
RFL Championship
The Championship, known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a professional rugby league competition. It is the Rugby Football League Championship Second Division, second-tier competition organised by the Rugby Football Lea ...
from 2015 to 2016 and for
Toronto Wolfpack
The Toronto Wolfpack are a Canadian professional rugby league club based in Toronto, Ontario, who compete in the North American Rugby League.
The club originally competed in the British rugby league system but withdrew in the 2020 Super Leagu ...
in in 2017,
Workington Town
Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria.
Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team.
They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...
and
Rochdale Hornets
The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the Championship, the second tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs ...
. A
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
international representative forward, Moimoi made over 200 NRL appearances for Parramatta where he attained
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
status among Parramatta fans.
In 2018, he briefly played
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
for
Bradford & Bingley RFC.
Background
He was born in
Nuku'alofa,
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
.
His brother-in-law is
NFL player
Star Lotulelei.
Playing career
2000s
A
Point Chevalier Pirates
The Point Chevalier Pirates are an Auckland rugby league club based in Point Chevalier. The Pirates currently compete in the Fox Memorial (First Division) competition run by the Auckland Rugby League.
History
The club was founded in 1919."Yo ...
and
Glenora Bears
The Glenora Bears are a rugby league football club based in Glen Eden, New Zealand who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition.
History
The club was established in 1931 Auckland Rugby League season, 1931 when the Auckland ...
junior, Moimoi was spotted by then
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...
coach
Daniel Anderson in 2002 while playing in the
Bartercard Cup
The Bartercard Cup (successor of the Lion Red Cup) was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zeala ...
for the
Mt Albert Lions
The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 the Lions won the Fox Memorial.
...
. Moimoi then joined the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
for the
2003 NRL season
The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint ...
as a trialist but departed the club and joined
Parramatta
Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...
. In 2007, Moimoi spoke to the
Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...
about his departure from Souths saying that he was frustrated with the minimal game time and chances head coach
Paul Langmack
Paul Langmack (born 10 May 1965) is an Australian former rugby league coach and representative and premiership-winning player. Langmack won three premierships with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the mid-eighties. He later joined the Weste ...
was giving him. Moimoi claimed that he attended a training session at
Redfern Oval
Redfern Oval is an Australian football ground, in the Sydney suburb of , New South Wales, Australia. The South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League Football Club played at Redfern Oval between 1948 and 1987. Rabbitoh supporters often refer to Redfern ...
and only trained for 10 minutes before walking off. Langmack reportedly said "Where are you going?", Moimoi replied "I'm going home. I play 10 minutes, I train 10 minutes".
He made his first grade debut for the
Parramatta
Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...
in round 6 of the
2004 NRL season
The 2004 NRL season (also known as the 2004 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra) was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed dur ...
against
Manly-Warringah
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...
at
Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval (also known by the commercial sponsorship name 4 Pines Park) is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by th ...
.
In the
2005 NRL season
The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen teams contesting the 2005 Telst ...
, Moimoi made 8 appearances as Parramatta won the minor premiership and were favourites to take out the premiership. Moimoi missed the finals series through injury as Parramatta were defeated 29–0 in the preliminary final by
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...
at
Telstra Stadium
Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stadi ...
.
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.
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footbal ...
chief executive
Geoff Carr
Geoffrey Marc Carr (born 1952) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and administrated in the 1990s and 2000s. He was the CEO of the Australian Rugby League as well as the New South Wales Rugby Le ...
revealed Australian selectors asked about the eligibility of Moimoi. He has also represented
American Samoa
American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...
in 2000.
![Fuifui Moimoi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Fuifui_Moimoi.JPG)
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
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in a 58–0 defeat by Australia in Wellington on 14 October 2007. He was selected to go on the
2007 All Golds Tour The 2007 All Golds Tour was a tour by the New Zealand national rugby league team, the Kiwis, of Great Britain and France. Conducted as part of the celebrations of a century of rugby league in New Zealand, it was a re-creation of the original New Ze ...
.
At club level, MoiMoi made 21 appearances for Parramatta in the
2007 NRL season
The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League. Sixteen teams contested the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, and with the inclusio ...
as the club reached another preliminary final but were defeated by
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
26–10.
He was named in the
New Zealand training squad for the
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final b ...
.
He was also named in the
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
squad.
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.
In the
2009 NRL season
The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership ...
, 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.
After the
2009 NRL season
The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership ...
, Moimoi returned to the New Zealand national team, being cleared by the
RLIF
The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. Previously known as the ''Rugby League Imperial Board'', the '' International Rugby League Board'' and latterly the ''Rugby League Internat ...
to play in the
Four Nations.
2010s
On 20 April 2010, Moimoi signed a further 2-year contract to continue to play with the Eels until the end of 2012.
He was originally selected for New Zealand's
2010 Four Nations
The 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was played in Australia and New Zealand in October and November 2010. The tournament was the second time the Four Nations had been held, following on from the 2009 edition held in England and France.
...
campaign but withdrew due to injury.
Moimoi was selected play for New Zealand in the
2011 ANZAC Test
The 2011 ANZAC Test was a rugby league test match played between Australia and New Zealand on 6 May 2011 at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast. Australia won their tenth straight Anzac test with a score of 20–10.
Pre-game
The game was origina ...
from the interchange bench. At the end of the season he was selected to travel with the Kiwis to Europe for the
2011 Four Nations
The 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (also known as the 2011 Gillette Rugby League Four Nations due to sponsorship by Gillette) was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament and was played in England and Wales during O ...
tournament.
In June 2012, Moimoi was reported as wishing to continue his football career until the end of the
2016 NRL season
The 2016 NRL season was the 109th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 19th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, w ...
.
Moimoi was selected to play for
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
as a in their
2013 Pacific Rugby League International match against fierce rivals
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
.
Later in the year, Moimoi played for Tonga in their unsuccessful
2013 Rugby League World Cup
The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and took place in England, Wales, France and Ireland. between 26 October and 30 November 2013.
It was the main event of the year's 2013 Festival of World ...
campaign. Moimoi played in all three of Tonga's matches.
In 2014, Moimoi decided to retire from the
NRL
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
after 11 years and 201 first grade games the Eels. The club had advised Moimoi that he would not be retained for the following season.
On 30 November 2014, it was confirmed that Moimoi had signed a one-year deal with the English club
Leigh Centurions
The Leigh Leopards are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England, who compete in the Betfred Super League.
The club was founded in 1878, and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern R ...
with the option to extend for a further year. On Friday 20 March 2015 it was announced that Leigh Centurions had activated the option for a 2nd year.
In 2015, Moimoi spoke to the media about his time at Parramatta and how he had felt betrayed by coach
Brad Arthur. Moimoi alleged a personal vendetta denied him the opportunity to play his farewell match at
Pirtek Stadium. Moimoi said he worked hard to ensure he couldn't be dropped but was demoted to the
Intrust Super Premiership NSW
The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserv ...
. He rebuffed an opportunity to make a mid-season switch to Manly because he wanted to play his 200th game for Parramatta. When Penrith approached him with an offer Moimoi was swayed to stay by Arthur who insisted he would return to first grade. However, he was denied the chance to farewell his supporters in the final home game of the year when he was axed again.
"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
Peni Terepo (born 21 November 1991) is a Tonga former international rugby league footballer who played as a and for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL.
Background
Terepo was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and is of Cook Islands and Tongan desce ...
,
Nathan Cayless
Nathan Frederick Cayless (born 28 March 1978) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and has coached in the 2010s. He played at representative level for New Zealand (captain), and ...
and
Jarryd Hayne
Jarryd Lee Hayne (born 15 February 1988) is a former professional rugby league footballer who also briefly played American football and rugby union sevens.
Hayne began his career in 2006 as a er for the Parramatta Eels, winning the NRL's Da ...
: "Some of the boys who I thought were my good mates didn't even call me to see how I was going".
Moimoi left Leigh once the club was promoted to the Super League to join the newly founded
Toronto Wolfpack
The Toronto Wolfpack are a Canadian professional rugby league club based in Toronto, Ontario, who compete in the North American Rugby League.
The club originally competed in the British rugby league system but withdrew in the 2020 Super Leagu ...
in
Kingstone Press League 1 and rejoined former teammates Liam Kay, Greg Worthington, Jonny Pownall, Bob Beswick, Andrew Dixon, Richard Whiting and Jacob Emmitt as well as coach Paul Rowley. On 18 January 2018, it was reported that Moimoi, along with teammates
Ryan Bailey and
David Taylor, parted ways with the club by "mutual agreement" following a preseason training camp in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. It was later reported that the players had twice missed curfew during the trip.
Later in the month, Moimoi switched to
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
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, 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
North 1 East is the sixth tier of the English rugby union domestic competition, formed in 1987 using the name North Division 2, involving clubs from the north of the country. There was also division known as North East 1 that began in 1987 fo ...
, Moimoi made his return to rugby league on 10 April by signing with
Workington Town
Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria.
Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team.
They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...
in Betfred League 1.
2020s
Moimoi signed for the
Rochdale Hornets
The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the Championship, the second tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs ...
at the age of 40
and made his debut on 25 April 2021 coming off the bench in their pre-season game against the
North Wales Crusaders
The North Wales Crusaders ( cy, Croesgadwyr Gogledd Cymru Rygbi'r Gynghrair) is a professional rugby league club based in Colwyn Bay, Wales. They are the successors to the former Super League club Crusaders Rugby League. Crusaders compete in B ...
.
References
External links
Leigh Centurions profileFuifui Moimoi in Kiwis Squad*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070331222754/http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/players/FuiFui_MoiMoi.html Fuifuiu Moimoi Scoring Recordsbr>
Countries Fight for Fui
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moimoi, Fuifui
1979 births
Living people
American Samoa national rugby league team players
Bradford RFC players
Glenora Bears players
Leigh Leopards players
Mount Albert Lions players
New Zealand national rugby league team players
New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England
Parramatta Eels players
People from Nukuʻalofa
Point Chevalier Pirates players
Rochdale Hornets players
Rugby league props
Tonga national rugby league team captains
Tonga national rugby league team players
Tongan emigrants to New Zealand
Tongan rugby league players
Toronto Wolfpack players
Workington Town players