From Samoa, to New Zealand to the COVID-chaos of AFLW 6.0.
Mua Laloifi’s journey certainly hasn’t lacked adventure.
Laloifi is the first person to pull on the Navy Blue born in Samoa, and just the second in the history of the game, behind North Melbourne’s Aaron Edwards.
“I’m originally from Samoa and when I was five years old my family and myself moved to New Zealand and we were raised there until I was about 15 or 16,” she told the Can You Be More Pacific podcast.
The move was inspired by Laloifi’s brother, who was chasing his dreams of playing rugby sevens.
It didn’t take long for Laloifi to find a sporting path of her own, albeit a slightly more unconventional one.
“It was pretty awkward to start with, to be honest," she admitted.
“We didn’t watch a lot of footy growing up, it was more rugby and then when we came to Australia when you turn on the TV, it’s everywhere."
While it was basketball that was Laloifi’s first sport of choice, a chance fill-in for a work colleague’s football team saw her take to the field for the first time.
“I’d never touched a football in my life but it was just assumed I knew how to play,” she said.
The sheer amount of ground that needed to be covered took some adjusting to, but Laloifi’s natural talent saw her find her way onto a couple of VFLW lists, before being picked up by Carlton in the 2019 NAB AFLW Draft with their third round selection.
Fast forward to the current season and Laloifi has played 15 games with the Blues and is a mainstay within the backline, known for her athleticism and ability to shut down the one-on-one contest.
Laloifi is no stranger to challenges, having overcome an ACL injury, but the part-time nature of AFLW (complicated further by the COVID-19 pandemic) has presented a whole new set of obstacles.
“I think all of us are just trying to think positively about the whole situation," she said.
“Most of us are part-time athletes so our other jobs are affected as well and our employers are trying their best to be as flexible as they can.
“I can’t say it’s smooth sailing – it’s definitely bumpy week to week – but we’ve just got to adapt."
At the end of the day, a love of the game prevails.
“We just love it. We come into the club with a positive mindset and we try to get around anyone who might be feeling a bit low.
“We’re in a bit of slump at the moment but nothing lasts forever – these lows won’t be around for long.”
