Taimana Elers was already planning to make the trip to New Zealand for the All Stars week thanks to his role as an NRL Indigenous Youth Ambassador, but little did he expect to be needing to pack his playing boots as well.
Also a student in the NRL’s School to Work program, Taimana was shocked and honoured to find out he was selected in the mixed Indigenous All Stars touch football team.
The side will take on a mixed Māori All Stars team as the opening match on Saturday at Rotorua International Stadium.
“I've been privileged to be selected in this – even though I was coming over here for the NRL ambassador role, I got the call up for the Indigenous side and I was stoked to hear about it,” Elers, a proud Māori and Worimi man, said.
Arriving in New Zealand on Wednesday night, it has been a busy schedule for Taimana who visited Rotorua Intermediate School on Thursday as part of the big NRL gala day where kids from 20 different schools visited to learn footy skills and tips from members of all six of Saturday’s competing teams.
“I feel privileged to be here and see all the kids getting around smiling, being happy and just having fun, running amok,” Elers said.
“And then for us (Indigenous All Stars touch players) being here as well, I feel really proud just to show our culture to theirs, because it's just a huge, massive thing.”
For Taimana, who will this year enter Year 12, it will be another busy year given his many commitments, but participating in the School to Work program has helped him gain the skills to achieve his best.
“Yeah, I would say it's pretty hard trying to time manage everything and trying to put it together, but I work my way around it,” Elers said.
“I believe (the School to Work program) helped me get out of my comfort zone when I became an NRL ambassador; it pushed me out and I went for other school leadership roles in our community and my school and I got school captain from it as well.”
As for Saturday’s game, he was hoping to enjoy playing on the big stage and set the tone for the event.
“We'd want it to be fun, but we also want to win so I'd say it'd be pretty competitive,” Elers said of the upcoming match.
