While the players will be the stars of the show at the Auckland NRL Nines over the weekend, the event wouldn't be able to take place without those who work out of the spotlight.
With women, Maori and Polynesians underrepresented in executive roles in this country, Trina Tamati is breaking the mould in the world of rugby league.
"Being a female in a male-dominated industry, timing is everything. You've got to pick your battles," she says.
"Certainly in leadership roles there's a little bit more willingness to give females a shot, but we are still really underrepresented, Maori and Pacific Islanders [as well]."
Tamati has worked on numerous international projects including the Football World Cup, Australian Open, Formula 1 and World Rally Championship, but it was her work on the inaugural Nines competition that won her Maori sports administrator of the year.
"Everything just worked for us last year, including the sunshine. You couldn't have scripted it any better, you would have thought I had a connection with someone up there to say 'turn on the lights'," she jokes.
The daughter of Kevin Tamati, famous for his sideline brawl with Australian Greg Dowling at Lang Park in 1985, Tamati says her strength is bringing a softer side to an industry all about toughness.
"Something that can be hailed as a good thing at times is [I'm] very emotional in terms of my decisions. I kind of feel what would it be like if they felt that way, type of thing," she said.
A year's worth of planning and toil is about to play out over the course of 48 hours this weekend, and Tamati has a simple wish-list: the players, coaches and fans walk away happy and, of course, the Warriors win.
3 News
source: newshub archive
