Samoa Kangaroos

GAME A PERFECT FIT
Samoans quickly grow to love Aussie Rules.

Australian Football has quickly developed within Samoa. Commonly known as Aussie Rules or Samoa Rules, the game has become adopted and loved for its traits of physical contact, flair and skill.

In 1998, a public meeting was held in the capital of Apia in order to establish a structured competition and football organisation for Samoa. The outcome of the gathering saw the establishment of the Samoa Australian Rules Football Association (SARFA). The association made rapid progress, which was highlighted when an exhibition game was staged between two schools before an international rugby match. Staged in front of 5000 spectators, the game was broadcast live in Samoa and attracted enormous interest from the country's media.

Within the next two years Australian Football had well and truly taken off in Samoa. A senior competition was established in late 1998 and was sponsored by the Samoan Brewery. The code effectively became known as Samoa Rules as the rules of game were modified to suit Samoan conditions.

In February 1999, an internal initiative led to an underage competition being started. A one-day lightning carnival took place between eight secondary colleges, with Samoa College winning the event, which was supported by the Australian High Commission.

A schoolboy competition is now one of the annual highlights of Australian Football in Samoa and the breeding ground for many future national representatives. In 1999, SARFA made history when it sent its first national side to the Arafura game in Darwin. Samoa was well represented and finished the tournament in third place to earn a bronze medal. The side was adopted by the Western Bulldogs, and therefore became known as the Samoa Bulldogs.

Samoa's next senior international match came at the inaugural International Cup in 2002. In the group matches Samoa defeated South Africa and Canada, but lost to the USA, Ireland and New Zealand. After three wins and three losses, including a narrow seven-point defeat at the hands of eventual winner Ireland, Samoa finished seventh.

The highlight of the tournament saw Fia Too-too named Player of the Series, while teammate Mika Pesamino (now one of the best Rugby 7s players in the world) earned a Team of the Series guernsey alongside Too-too.

Since the International Cup in 2002, AFL Samoa has been building on its success. Initiatives have included strengthening the secondary school competition, developing a junior program and enhancing corporate sustainability.

In 2004, Samoa hosted its first international match when Tonga made the trip. Samoa went on to win the match.

In 2008, the North Melbourne AFL side will be hosting Samoa, along with several local clubs. The progressive development in Samoa since the last International Cup has been extraordinary, with enormous participation levels across each sector, from girls to adult men to special needs players.

With Samoan-born Aaron Edwards playing at the top level it should not be long before we see more Samoans shine in the AFL. The future looks bright for the development of the code in the jewelled heart of the Pacific.

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