Moe Fotuaika: 'I can't wait to represent Logan'

Every Queensland Maroons player has a story, a journey. 

Every Maroons player’s rugby league journey started at one of the 350-plus junior rugby league clubs in Queensland.

For Moeaki Fotuaika, it was Greenbank Raiders until age 12, followed by Logan Brothers until he was 17. Fotuaika looked up to Petero Civoniceva, Shane Webcke and fellow Logan boy Josh Papalii.

“I'm definitely proud of being from Logan,” Fotuaika said, adding he had only recently moved out of the area to be closer to the Gold Coast Titans, but a lot of his family were still there.

“I pretty much grew up in Logan so I love Logan. Any time I get off during the week, I always go up and visit my family. It's just a good community. Everyone's caring.

“Joshua Papalii, now obviously he's from Logan too… seeing him progress throughout his Origin career and then the way he's finished… you look at those type of players try and pick a few things from each player and put into your own game.

“When we run out on the big stage, we’re celebrating where the footy journey began.”

Both Greenbank Raiders and Logan Brothers are two of the 354 junior rugby league clubs that feature on this year’s captain’s run jersey, which the players will wear today. Each player also has their own junior club’s logo on their left sleeves.

This is a concept Fotuaika loves.

“We’re playing for the whole state,” Fotuaika said.

“It’s great representing the junior clubs, especially your own club that you played for. The jersey represents all of the players that have played, all of the players that are playing in this Origin team.

“We've all played at those junior footy clubs… that’s where we started. We’re representing them.”

Fotuaika said he was thrilled to be back in the Maroons side.

“It definitely feels good…. having missed out last year, I’m definitely soaking it up a lot more. Just grateful to be back,” he said.

“Watching that first game, you're a bit disappointed but I knew how I was playing wasn't up to standard. Seeing the boys, how they won the first game and then to come back from the second game and win and win at Suncorp… the way they won, it made it a good series (off the back of the year before).”

Fotuaika said watching from the sidelines drove him to work hard to earn his spot back.

“That definitely lit the fire in me, watching from home, those three Origin games. I think the thing changed for me was just my mentality going into games, especially around defence," Fotuaika said.

“I thought that I really lacked that last year and I really just wanted to bring my aggression with defence. That's just been my my main focus this year, is just trying to fix up my defence.

“I knew once I did that, everything else would fall into place.”

Fotuaika said he hoped he was a good role model for every child aspiring to achieve their dreams – from Logan and from every other club in Queensland.

“I think it's definitely good being in this position, obviously there's a lot of kids out there that look up to all of us here, that are playing in this Origin team," Fotuaika said.

"It's good to see that and hopefully I can be something like those players that I've mentioned to other kids.”