Peter Moko was a New Zealand

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 played for New Zealand Māori and

Glebe Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...

Playing career

An outside back/three-quarters, Moko toured Australia in 1908 with the first ever New Zealand Māori side. The side was led by

Albert Asher Arapeta Paurini Wharepapa (3 December 1879 – 8 January 1965), or Albert Asher as he was more commonly known, was a New Zealand List of dual-code rugby internationals, dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballe ...

and played an important role in establishing rugby league in both New Zealand and Australia. The team lost to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

but recorded two wins against

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. Following this, Moko was signed by

and returned to Sydney, competing in the

1909 NSWRFL season The 1909 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the second season of Sydney's top-level rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Eight teams contested during the season for the premiership and the Royal Agricultural S ...

. Moko played in nine matches for Glebe, scoring a try and kicking a goal. He is considered to be the first player of Polynesian background to play in the

New South Wales Rugby League premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...

.The pick of the Pacific
''theage.com.au'', 5 March 2009 Moko later moved north and played rugby league in Brisbane's new

Queensland Rugby Football League The Queensland Rugby Football League QRL Constitution, 2009: 3 (QRL QRL Constitution, 2009: 2) is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL Commission) and selects the memb ...

competition playing for Toombul also in 1909.Pacific Rugby League Pioneers
''rl1908.com''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moko, Peter New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players Glebe rugby league players Rugby league centres Year of birth missing Year of death missing Place of death missing