St George Illawarra Dragons players and staff gathered at WIN Stadium this week to enjoy a traditional Tongan feast, courtesy of rising star Finau Latu and his family. The event marked the first in a series of cultural celebrations initiated by veteran prop Ben Murdoch-Masila.
Finau, accompanied by his mother Lupe and sisters Alofi and Melehifo, served traditional dishes including ‘otai (a Tongan fruit drink), lu sipi, lo’i hoosi, crab salad, and taro. Reflecting on the occasion, Latu expressed his gratitude:
“It was very special today. I love when my family gets involved. It’s just good to see them come in. For the Dragons to reach out to them and make this happen is special. They put in a lot of work, especially at home. It started yesterday, went all night, woke up this morning still cooking and we’re finally here.”
During the celebration, the club’s Tongan players gathered to speak to the crowd and sing a traditional hymn. Murdoch-Masila, whose father is Tongan, was thrilled to see his initiative come to fruition:
“A few of the boys were really keen for it. I thought this would be good as a start, and hopefully it will continue. Today’s Tongan traditional stuff, getting some food for the boys to try and see how they like it. Hopefully, we’ll get a few more on, and we’ll just go through all the cultures that we have here at the Dragons. I think it’ll be good for us.”
Looking ahead, Murdoch-Masila highlighted the team’s diverse cultural background and hinted at future events:
“In the team there’s a lot of cultures, and especially now it’s all mixed as well. Emre (Guler) is here now too, he’s Turkish, so that’ll be pretty cool. I think his family have a few kebab shops up in Sydney, so that’ll be good.”
