Warriors captain Simon Mannering and team-mate Jerome Ropati will continue to break new ground for the NRL’s Community Carnival visiting schoolchildren in Samoa and Tonga over the opening days of the annual initiative.
The Warriors visited 16 schools and cyclone affected areas in Samoa today and will visit a further 12 tomorrow before heading to Tonga, marking the start of the game’s biggest ever Community Carnival which is reaching schoolchildren in these Pacific nations for the first time in the event’s 12-year history.
“Visiting our Pacific neighbours in Samoa and Tonga this year for Community Carnival is really exciting,” Mannering said.
“We know both Rugby League and the Warriors have a lot of support from these countries, so it’s great to get the opportunity to see our young fans face-to-face.
“It’s especially important for those of us visiting Samoa. The people here have been through so much after the cyclone so we just hope we can provide a little cheer and do what we can to help to lift spirits.”
Mannering and Ropati are among the first NRL stars to deliver Rugby League’s new ‘Tackle Bullying’ message, which will reach more than 120,000 schoolchildren across the next 28 days of Community Carnival activity by all 16 NRL Clubs.
Community Carnival activity will kick-off in Australia on Sunday with the Broncos, Rabbitohs, Roosters and Wests Tigers visiting areas across South-West, The Central and Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, as well is in local areas around Brisbane in Queensland.
Other locations that will embrace the celebrations include Mount Isa and Cairns in Queensland; Dubbo and Merimbula in New South Wales; and Geelong in Victoria.
Players will deliver lessons on the effects of bullying and the importance of building positive self-esteem through a powerful DVD featuring One Community Ambassadors Andrew Ryan, Hazem El Masri, Mario Fenech and Nathan Hindmarsh. The DVD is one of a number of resources that also include in-class activity books and teacher packs.
