Coco Talanoa — Sports / Page 1

Tyson & Tai chop it up with the boys in their Thailand camp leading up to their UFC Adelaide fights.

In between a lot of roasting and jokes they talk to the fighters Junior Tafa, Caleb Hunt & Salani Mila as well as Tyson & Tai themselves.

They introduce their trainers and team, discuss who would win in a Robert Whittaker & Israel Adesanya fight + Selby Devereux drops some history on why the CKB NZ team are so strong.

* PG Recommended - Coarse Language 

“When you look at the special players who’ve come from Polynesia and Polynesian backgrounds, they’ve really impacted the game and made it a better game.”

Polynesian athletes are 28 times more likely to play in the NFL. Their culture has had a tremendous impact on the game of football.  This documentary looks at the unsung heroes of the game.

It's been another huge year for Samoan NFL player Juju Smith-Schuster.  At the end of last month, he was voted by his Pittsburgh Steelers team-mates as their 2018 MVP and today he was announced as the Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year by the Polynesian Pro Football Hall of Fame for the 2nd consecutive year.

Check out his year in review in the video above.

The Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year Award recognizes the most outstanding professional football player of Polynesian Ancestry.  Arizona Cardinals Offensive Guard Mike Iupati was selected as the inaugural recipient in 2015, Tennessee Titans Quarterback Marcus Mariota was selected as the recipient in 2016 and Smith-Schuster also received the award in 2017.…more

Manu Sina shared this tweet last night and we had to take a closer look at these amazing women representing around the globe "An outstanding statistic in @WorldRugby where 5 captains in recent times are Samoans. Tama'ita'i leading from the front. #uso

Amazing because Samoa is a small island nation in the middle of the Pacific with a total population of just over 197,000 and to have FIVE Samoan women captaining international teams is an exceptional achievement!  

and amazing because 4 of these women captain Tier 1 nations teams.

We take a closer look at these captains and their achievements starting with the Manu Sina (Samoa's Womens Rugby) captain.

MASUISUIMATAMA'ALI'I (SUI) TAUAUA-PAUARAISA 

Captain:  Manu Sina (Samoa)

Sui has been described by the Star Kiwi in Canterbury as the definition of a real-life Wonder Woman.…more

Each year in December The Heisman Memorial Trophy aka the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman, is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football in the United States whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.

This year Samoan Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (born and raised in Hawaii) who plays for the Alabama Crimson Tide is a finalist.  It's the first time in 84 years that the top 3 vote getters are Quarterbacks of colour!  

Another Samoan Quarterback born in Hawai'i - Marcus Mariota won the Heisman in 2014.

The 2018 winner of the award will be announced tomorrow night in New York.  All the best Tua!  Check out his 2018 highlight reel in the video above.

Australia's Socceroos greatest & most iconic personality - Samoan footballer Tim Cahill played his last international game for Australia against Lebanon yesterday!  Congratulations on an amazing career!  

After the game he was given a standing ovation and had the following words to say to his fans

“This is the only time you’re going to see me cry,” Cahill began.

“I want to say thank you, firstly to my family. For being there from day one, the sacrifices my family made for me is the reason why every time I step on that pitch I’m fearless, I’m free. Nothing can hurt me on the pitch and everything I do is for my family.

“Secondly, I want to thank my teammates and all the staff that I’ve worked with. The coaches, the players, without you guys I’ll be nothing, honestly I’ll be nothing. The coaches that are not here, the players that are not here, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.

“Now, the most important people as well, is the fans.…more

Earlier this evening on Monday Night Raw, the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns revealed that he was battling leukaemia and would be stepping away from the ring & relinquishing the Universal Champion belt.

The 33 year old Samoan wrestler whose real name is Leati Joseph Anoa'i left the crowd speechless as he let them know he'd been battling the disease for the last 11 years.

Moments after announcing that his returning leukemia had forced him to relinquish the Universal Championship, he was met with an outpouring of support backstage.…more