Ready to pack down: Azalleyah Maaka, on the right, in sevens action against Fiji.Picture supplied
GISBORNE Girls’ High School student Azalleyah Maaka and Manukura student Kalyn Takitimu-Cook will fly the Ngati Porou flag when the New Zealand girls’ under-18 rugby sevens team compete in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October.
Maaka is the daughter of Tojo Maaka, former Ngati Porou East Coast Heartland first five-eighth and Ripeka Poi (former Nga Hau e Wha netball centre).
Takitimu-Cook is the daughter of John Cook, from Te Araroa, and Joni Takitimu-Cook, from Tolaga Bay.
“It’s been awesome getting to know and play alongside Kalyn since our journey together in rugby began at the New Zealand trials last year,” Azalleyah said.
“We also learned that we were related with our Ngati Porou connections.”
Both were selected after impressive performances for the New Zealand team who won the inaugural Oceania Rugby Under-18 Sevens Championship in Sydney in April. The tournament included teams from Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.
“We beat Australia in the final, which was an overwhelming feeling,” said Maaka, who plays for the Poverty Bay sevens and Gisborne Girls’ High School teams.
“I thought I did OK, especially since I played out of position from the first game due to a player injury. I went from running in the backs, to a striker in the forwards, pushing in the scrum and lifting in the lineouts. I really enjoyed the new playing position.
'. . . making training my priority outside of school'“I’m going to make sure I give myself the best chance at performing well in Argentina by making training my priority outside of school.
“I recently attended a New Zealand High Performance Sports seminar in Wellington and they talked about a thing called ‘one percenters’ or the small things being your key weapon to being that little bit quicker or fitter or stronger on the field. Just one small example: having ‘specific’ pre- and post-training snacks and knowing when to have them to complement your training — I carry the right snacks in my training bag now.”
Maaka, the only player from a Heartland provincial union to have been picked in the 12-strong squad, said waiting to hear if she had made the team was nerve-racking.
“We were told we would get confirmation of the team by email . . . something I never check.
“When the email from the NZOC (New Zealand Olympic Committee) arrived I couldn’t read it, in case I missed out, as we have a very talented mix of 20 girls in our squad.
“Mum read it and I knew from the smile on her face I had been picked.”
Maaka said she had not stopped smiling since.
“It’s such an honour to wear the Silver Fern and represent New Zealand,” she said.
“My long-term goal is to play for the senior women’s sevens and then maybe the 15s, although at this stage, I prefer sevens”.
Maaka finishes school at the end of the year and is thinking about moving to the Bay of Plenty (Mt Maunganui) or Palmerston North to further her chances of improving her rugby.
“The standard of rugby in both regions is higher than it is here, and I have whanau and friends in both places.
'. . . if I want to get better, I have to leave Gisborne'“It will be hard to leave home. Mum and Dad are my biggest supporters but they know if I want to get better, I have to leave Gisborne.”
Maaka, who attended Tikitiki, Te Hapara and Gisborne Intermediate schools, began her journey to the national age-group teams when she was picked for the New Zealand under-17 sevens team who beat Australia in the world series last year.
She travelled to Japan with the Paikea sevens team last year and loved the experience.
“It’s a beautiful country and even though there are so many people on the streets and on the tube trains, they are very respectful and take care to avoid crowding you.
“I’m looking forward to going to Argentina with my rugby teammates and the other New Zealand Olympic athletes, and experiencing another culture. I think about the opening Olympic ceremony, raising the New Zealand flag, and how special that is going to be. An Olympic Gold medal wouldn’t be too bad either.
“Rugby continues to fulfil my aspirations to travel the world,” Maaka said. She has been to New Caledonia, Japan, Australia, and will soon add Argentina to the list.