Sonny Whakarau

Sonny Whakarau
Personal information
Born 1965/1966 (age 50–51)
Playing information
Position Hooker, Prop, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
19??–1985 Unknown (MRL)
Upper Hutt
1990–1991 Batley
1991–1992 Bramley
1994–1995 Doncaster
1995–1996 Sheffield Eagles
1996 Keighley Cougars
1996–1998 Wakefield Trinity
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
19??–1986 Manawatu
1986–19?? Wellington
1996–2004 New Zealand Māori
Source: RLP

Sonny Whakarau is a former New Zealand rugby league footballer who played professionally in England and represented the New Zealand Māori.

Playing career

A Manawatu representative, Whakarau moved south in 1986, joining the Wellington Rugby League and becoming a Wellington representative.

In the 1994/1995 English season Whakarau joined Doncaster and helped them win promotion to the First Division.[1] Sheffield Eagles in 1995/96 season.[2] He played for the Keighley Cougars in 1996.[3] Later in the season he was loaned to the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.[4]

He played for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in 1998.[5]

Whakarau then returned home and played for the Levin Knights and Manawatu. In 2000 he was appointed player-coach of the Manawatu team but handed the coaching reigns over to former coach Paul Sixtus after one game.[6] He was then appointed the Manawatu Rugby League development officer in 2001.

In 2002 the Central Falcons were admitted to the Bartercard Cup and Whakarau became a regular in the side, playing close to 50 games over the next three seasons until his retirement from representative football at the end of the 2005 season.[7]

In 2004 Whakarau played for the Levin Lions in the Western Alliance club competition.[8]

Representative career

Whakarau represented New Zealand Māori at the 1996 Pacific Cup and then played in their defeated of Papua New Guinea and Great Britain the same year.[3][9]

Whakarau was again selected for the 2004 Pacific Cup squad.[10][11][12]

References

  1. 'It was like hearing someone had died' The Independent, 1 January 1995
  2. Centenary waits for the revolution The Independent, 18 August 1995
  3. 1 2 John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. p. 292. ISBN 9781869693312.
  4. Bulls in Wembley charge; Bradford 30, Wakefield 18 The Mirror, 26 February 1996
  5. No regrets: Defiant Leigh back decision to move up The Bolton News, 9 March 1998
  6. Job comes first The Evening Standard, 28 February 2001
  7. Whakarau calls it a day with Central Falcons The Evening Standard, 17 August 2005
  8. Western Alliance First Round Review rleague.com, 11 March 2004
  9. Morley given immediate chance to atone The Independent, 21 October 1996
  10. John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. p. 330. ISBN 9781869693312.
  11. Harding, Evan. "The Northern Advocate". Peter Prime's star keeps rising. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  12. Pacific Cup tourney to be Whakarau's swansong The Evening Standard, 13 October 2004


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