How Tigers are inspiring next gen of Pasifika talent

Wests Tigers rookie Kit Laulilii and his brother Luke hope to play for Toa Samoa at the next World Cup in 2026.

Teenage NRLW forward Claudia Brown has already represented Fetū Sāmoa and helped her nation of heritage win promotion into next year’s Pacific Cup against Australia and New Zealand.

Harold Mathews Cup centre Glassie Glassie is aiming to play for Cook Islands after he graduates from the junior ranks at Wests Tigers.

Benji Marshall is the only Polynesian currently in an NRL head coaching position, while 53 per cent of Wests Tigers NRL squad and 60 per cent of the club’s NRLW squad have Pasifika heritage.

Among them are star recruits Jarome Luai, Terrell May, Royce Hunt, Jeral Skelton (all Samoa) and Sunia Turuva, who joins fellow Fijian internationals Api Koroisau and Jahream Bula at Wests Tigers.

With 10 per cent of Australia’s Pacific Islander population residing in their Campbelltown heartland, Wests Tigers are embracing Polynesian culture and the club recently hosted 159 high school students at their first Pasifika Youth Summit.

“Growing up, we never had anything like this during school to learn about Pasifika cultures so for these guys to have this is a massive step forward for not only the community but for Wests Tigers under Benji Marshall’s leadership,” Kit Laulilii said.

“Benji is really welcoming about his culture and about who he is. He's been really welcoming for all the boys … just about who you are, who you want to be and just being yourself."

Brown, who this year made both her NRLW and Test debut, grew up in Campbelltown and said efforts like the Pasifika Youth Summit, which is part of the Wests Tigers Empower program, would help strengthen community ties.

“I think the biggest thing we have at our club is our culture. The way that we all come together and the way we all respect each other’s cultures is a really good thing,” Brown said.

“We have a strong connection with Pacific people in the area and I think that helps in the community as well so something like this can make a massive difference.”

Female students at the Pasifika Youth Summit were taught a traditional Samoan dance, while the boys learned the haka.

Both groups later performed the dances after the summit, which was tagged Call of the Tiger, hearing from Pasifika leaders and former NRL stars Joe Galuvao, Dene Halatau and Bronson Harrison.

Among the challenges faced by young Pacific Islanders is the pressure to succeed, particularly in sport, so they can help support their families.

While the statistics are high for the number of Pasifika players in the NRL and NRLW, less than 50 per cent of Polynesian students complete their HSC and less than 25 per cent attend university.

“You’ve just got to do your thing and realise your potential,” said Glassie, who has already represented the Cook Islands at junior level and plays Harold Mathews Cup for Wests Magpies.

There's a lot of Samoans, Tongans, Fijians and Cookies, and my dad always says, ‘the waters separate us, but we all come as one’.

For Laulilii, the captain of the undefeated Magpies team which claimed the Harold Matthews Cup premiership in 2022, the chance to represent Samoa is a long-term ambition.

The 19-year-old has been promoted to Wests Tigers top 30 squad for next season after playing two NRL matches and being 18th man on another two occasions.

“We are really grateful for where we come from. Mum and dad made a lot of sacrifices for us, so I am a really proud Samoan,” Laulilii said.

“A few years ago, we saw Samoa go to the World Cup final and that was massive, not only for myself and my family, but for our little nation of Samoa.

“That just made an impact on everyone and now you see big names like Roger Tuivasa-Sheck coming across to Samoa, so it is massive for the younger generation, including myself.

"Hopefully one day I get to represent that Samoan jersey.”

Brown is also hoping to be a member of the Fetū Sāmoa squad at the 2026 World Cup after the team, led by Annetta-Claudia Nu'uausala, claimed the seventh berth by beating Tonga and Fiji in qualifying matches.

The 18-year-old was a non-playing member of the squad that beat the Bulikula in Auckland and helped Samoa win promotion to next year’s Pacific Cup by beating Papua New Guinea.

“I had a lot of opportunities this year, making my NRLW debut, but to get a chance to represent my nation and to represent my family was really special for me,” Brown said.

I think it's about time that we battle against the big dogs of Australia and New Zealand, and I'm very excited for our team to have that opportunity.

"We don't get that many opportunities for our nation, so I think it’s really good. I am very proud of what the team has done for our nation, and I am very excited for 2026.”

Brown and the Laulilii brothers, Kit and Luke, are reflective of the demographics for the Polynesian population in south-west Sydney, 30% of whom are under 18.  

Wests Tigers GM of Community Shaun Mielekamp said the club was committed to engaging with the Pasifika community, and particularly the youth, of those areas.

“It's part of our DNA of who we are as a club and from Pyrmont through to Picton we are really engaging with the youth who are the future of our club," Mielekamp said.

"For Wests Tigers to play a role in inspiring them, providing them with mentors, giving them good leadership and showing them that there's a real future here in the south-west is a way for us to give back to the community and make a difference.

“By winning football games and having great ambassadors like Benji Marshall and Jarome Luai, we can inspire these young kids to be the best that they can be and believe they can achieve their dreams and goals."