Elevate+ Player Spotlight: The Koroi brothers Tawa
Above: The Koroi brothers, Taniela (left) and Joketani, on the burst for Tawa. Photos by Jun Tanlayco
Brothers Taniela and Joketani Koroi have both been in striking form for the Tawa Premiers this year and together are a major reason why Tawa enter this coming weekend's penultimate round of Swindale Shield matches with a five point lead to their nearest rival Hutt Old Boys Marist. If they beat the defending first round champions HOBM in this week's feature match with a bonus point they will win the Swindale Shield for the first time in the club's history. Older brother Taniela is the cornerstone of the Tawa pack at tighthead prop and Joketani has played every match so far in 2013, predominantly at blindside flanker. Joketani is also a key lineout forward. Between them, the brothers have picked up 12 Best & Fairest points in the opening nine rounds.
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| ? | ?Taniela | Joketani |
| Nickname | Nella | Chucky/Boss |
| Playing position | Loosehead prop; tighthead prop. | Blindside flanker; No. 8. |
| Secondary schools attended | Tawa College and Mana College. | Tawa College and Rongotai College. |
| Tawa Pemier debut | 2009, Swindale Shield Round Two v Avalon. | 2012, Swindale Shield Round Two v Ories. |
| First rugby club played for? as a junior | Tawa. | Poneke. |
| Earliest rugby memory | Playing U8s for Tawa against Norths at Onepoto Park. | Sleeping on Friday nights in my rugby uniform and using a rugby ball as my pillow. |
| Playing position growing up | No. 8, centre and lock. | First five-eighth, wing, centre. |
| A standout rugby memory from school | Beating St Pat's Silverstream in the 2008 First XV Premier 1 semi-final. | Playing for the Rongotai College First XV and beating New Plymouth Boys' High School. |
| A favourite rugby memory overall | Watching Jonah Lomu score a last minute try for the All Blacks in Sydney against the Wallabies in 2000. | [Personally] winning the MVP for the Wellington U20s in 2012. |
| Other teams played for | Wellington U12, 13, 16, 19; Hurricanes U16Tournament team in 2006. | Wellington U16 Bs; U20s (Fiji and Wellington); Wellington Sevens. |
| Favourite rugby player | Ben and Owen Franks - they work had on and off the field and they play had. | Kaipati Gaualofa, because he's a beast! |
| Favourite non-rugby sports team of person | The South Sydney Rabbitohs. | Lebron James, because apparently I look like him. |
| Favourite ground to play on | Lyndhurst Park in Tawa. | Westpac Stadium. |
| Pre-game rituals | I always pray before I play, thinking about how hard I trained. | I always watch the Disney Channel on Saturday mornings |
| What I like and dislike about training | I like training because it helps me play better; I sometimes dislike it when it's boring. | I like seeing the benefits of training hard; I dislike the cold, rainy nights. |
| Hobbies outside of rugby | Spending time with my family; playing Touch with family and friends. | Fishing. |
| Something people don't know about me | I want to be a boxer as well as a rugby player. | I'm a superhero by night; I can also sing. |
| Best and worst subjects at school | Best P.E; worst social studies. | Best P.E; worst maths |
| Favourite superhero | Hulk | Hulk |
| Favourite movie/TV show | TV show - My Wife and Kids. Movie - The Hurricane | Movie - Lottery Ticket |
| My signature dish is | Chicken curry and rice. | 2-minute noodles. |
| A motto I live by is | You're only as good as your last game! | Work hard, play hard. |
| Share your best joke | Knock, knock, who's there? It's O. O who? Open the door! | What's pink and fluffy? Pink fluff. |
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.jpg "Rugby Heartland New Zealand")