1 August 2013: Tawa’s Junior [Etuale] Togia played his 200th match for the Tawa Premiers last Saturday and they celebrated with a 29-13 semi-final win over Old Boys University to launch themselves into the Jubilee Cup final, this Sunday at the Hutt Rec.

Junior joined the TRFC in 1999 after leaving Tawa College and immediately earned a position on the wing for the Premier side. He is now playing in his 14th consecutive season for the club.? His first years with the club were all on the wing for Tawa, but over time he has proved to be a fix-it man for the club and has managed to play in every back line position, except halfback. No doubt he will want a crack at this spot next season.

At the beginning of the 2013 season Tawa found themselves short of a quality first five-eighth, it was well into the pre-season campaign that Junior put up his hand to fill the spot. He gained the number 10 jersey early in the swindale shield round and managed to guide ?the Tawa team to the winning of the Swindale Shield and to earning a top four spot in the Jubilee Cup.

Club Chairman, Dave Banks says Junior has always been a loyal and committed club member ?and his desire to play for the club could never be questioned. “Keeping in mind that Tawa has not always enjoyed success in previous years, Junior has never waned from his loyalty to the club.? He could have quite easily left to play for one of the bigger clubs, but he always remained loyal - the word loyalty could perhaps be an understatement as he has gone to the extremities of buying his family home overlooking the local Lyndhurst Rugby Park.”

Dave does recall a couple of seasons where Junior had a number of injuries and only managed a limited number of appearances for the club and admits at that stage it was costing the club that much money in strapping tape and physio bills that they considered retiring Junior as it would have saved the club thousands. Looking back know he has certainly repaid that debt to the club this season alone. ?

Junior has also managed a number of National Provincial Championships campaigns with both Buller and Wairarapa Bush where he has won the Meads and Lochore Cups. Added to this his Wellington representative honours with under 19s, colts and Wellington B.

Then just for fun, in his spare time he played a number of seasons for his Bulldogs Sevens team and then the odd trip to ?the flag nationals. ?All the time he has being doing this he has managed to start a family with four young boys, the oldest Mika who is playing in the Tawa U6 team, which Junior is helping coach.