Olsen Filipaina facts for kids
Filipaina in 2021
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Personal information
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| Full name | Olsen Orekewa Filipaina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 April 1957 Kaikohe, New Zealand |
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| Died | 10 February 2022 (aged 64) Westmead, New South Wales, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 130 kg (20 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Olsen Orekewa Filipaina (born 23 April 1957 – died 10 February 2022) was a famous rugby league player. He was special because he played for two different countries: New Zealand and Western Samoa. Olsen played for several teams in Australia's top rugby league competition, the NSWRL premiership, from 1980 to 1987. These teams included the Balmain Tigers, Eastern Suburbs, and North Sydney Bears.
Contents
Early Life and Rugby Beginnings
Olsen Filipaina was born in Kaikohe, New Zealand, on 23 April 1957. His mother was Māori, and his father was from Samoa. He grew up in a place called Māngere.
Olsen started his rugby league journey with the Mangere East Hawks team. This team played in the Auckland Rugby League competition in New Zealand.
Playing Career Highlights
While playing for the Mangere East Hawks, Olsen quickly showed his talent. In 1977, he was named the best back (a type of player) in the competition. The very next year, he won the Rothville Trophy, which is given to the player of the year.
In 1980, Olsen moved to Sydney, Australia, to play for the Balmain Tigers. He played with them for five seasons, appearing in 82 games and scoring 225 points. After his time with the Tigers, he played for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters in 1985. Then, he spent two years with the North Sydney Bears.
After his time in the main NSWRL competition, Olsen continued to play. In 1990, he was the captain of the Ryde-Eastwood Hawks team. He led them to victory in the first-ever Metropolitan Cup final.
Representing His Countries
Olsen Filipaina was a key player for the Auckland representative side. In 1977, his Auckland team achieved something amazing. They beat three strong international teams – Great Britain, Australia, and France – all within just 20 days!
Olsen was first chosen to play for the New Zealand national rugby league team (known as the Kiwis) in 1977. He was the first junior player from his old club, the Mangere East Hawks, to be picked for the national team.
He was even chosen for the Kiwis in 1983 and 1985, even though he was playing in a lower-level competition in Sydney at the time. In both of those years, he played a very important role in helping the Kiwis beat their big rivals, Australia. In 1985, he was even named the "man of the series" for his outstanding performance. He also played in the Rugby League World Cup twice, in 1977 and again from 1985–1986. He stopped playing for the Kiwis in 1987.
Overall, Olsen played 50 matches for New Zealand. This included 28 "test" matches, which are official international games. He scored a total of 108 points for New Zealand. As of 2010, his 108 points placed him sixth on the Kiwis' all-time point-scoring list.
Later in his career, Olsen decided to represent Western Samoa, which was his father's home country. He was the captain of the Western Samoa team in the 1988 Pacific Cup. He also captained them in their very first official international test match that same year.
Life After Rugby
After he retired from playing rugby league, Olsen Filipaina stayed in Sydney. He lived in Ryde. He worked as a garbage collector, a job that the Balmain Tigers helped him get when he first moved to Australia. Because of this job, he earned the fun nickname "The Galloping Garbo" during his playing days.
In 2007, Olsen Filipaina was recognized as one of New Zealand Rugby League's "Legends of League." This is a special honor given to players who have made a big impact on the sport. His life story was also shared in a book called The Big O: The Life and Times of Olsen Filipaina, which came out in April 2020.
Family Life
Olsen Filipaina came from a family with strong roots in both Samoa and New Zealand. His father was a boxer from Samoa, and his mother was Māori. He had five children: Louise, John, Alysha, Quin, and Jazmine. He also had five grandchildren: Tamati, Matahi, Ignatius, Kaimana, and Octavia.
Two of Olsen's brothers, Jerry and Alf, are involved in politics in Auckland, New Zealand. Olsen's son, Quin, also played rugby league for the Tigers' junior team, the Harold Matthews Cup side.
In January 2022, Olsen Filipaina became unwell and was admitted to Westmead Hospital. He sadly passed away on 10 February 2022, due to health complications.
