Westpac NSW Blues winger and newly-crowned four-time NRL Premiership winner, Brian To’o, has taken time out to support family and friends playing for Samoa at the Heritage Rugby League Harmony Nines at Shellharbour’s Croom Regional Sporting Complex.
To’o could only look on in envy as the Samoan Under 16s Males and Under 16s Females displayed their running and passing skills as they enjoyed first round wins in their pool games: the boys 26-4 over Pasifikia and the girls 16-8 over First Nations Indigenous.
He is pictured above with U16s halfback Marcus Vaifale.
He is still nursing a right knee injury he picked up in Penrith’s NRL Grand Final win (14-6) against Melbourne Storm two weeks ago at Accor Stadium. The injury forced him to withdraw from Samoa’s two-Test series against England in Wigan and Leeds later this month.
“The knee is still sore. It’s pretty unfortunate I don’t get to represent Samoa,” To’o told nswrl.com.au
“But now it’s given me some time to really rest thee body and get ready for next year. It’s been a massive year.”
It also allowed him to attend the wedding of his best friend, brother-in-law and former Panthers teammate Stephen Crichton.
“That was pretty special although there was a bit of pressure having to do the best man’s speech.”
With that responsibility now out of the way, To’o is looking forward to a clear calendar and the freedom away from a Rugby League team schedule.
“I will go back to the motherland and visit family back in Samoa and just enjoy some down-time. It’s my first full off-season with my son so I’ll get some quality time with him too that’s for sure.”
To’o married long-time girlfriend Moesha Crichton – Stephen’s sister – in 2022. The couple welcomed son Atreus in October last year.
The 26 year-old, who has 12 NSW Blues caps, has also played eight Tests for Samoa including the Pacific Championships last year. He says he’ll enjoy shutting down a bit more this off-season.
“I always try to switch off from footy and get back to the old Brian To’o. Catching up with family and some events like this one is also good to help the relaxation set in.”
One event he didn’t want to miss was the 2024 Harmony Nines, where his niece Freedom Crichton Ropati is playing for the Samoa U16s.
“She’s like a daughter to me so I’ll be supporting her and her teammates. They’ve got a pretty good team as have the other Samoan junior sides here.
“This is great to see all the nations and multicultural groups together in the one place playing the game we all love.”
The two-day Harmony Nines featuring more than 1,200 players from 22 nations or heritages, end with four grand finals on Sunday afternoon at Shellharbour - the Under 16s and Under 18s in both Male and Female. The Open Men’s and Women’s Finals were played on Saturday.
