Eels Blogs

(Image credit: Jamesy)

Even before Fuifui Moimoi arrived at Parramatta he was destined to be a cult hero.

Before reports came through linking Moimoi to the Eels, a newspaper article appeared saying that Moimoi had walked out of a South Sydney training after telling his reserve grade coach Paul Langmack that if he was only going to play for 10 minutes, then he would only train for 10 minutes.

At the time he was 116kg and already was well-known to Rugby League judiciary members. So when the massive prop with the funny name landed at Parramatta in 2004, it was greeted with a mixture of mirth, interest but also some excitement. His short-stint at South Sydney had shown glimpses of the player that Fuifui Moimoi could become.

Under coach Brian Smith, Moimoi immediately trimmed down by some 10kg and his fitness improved immeasurably, and on the back of that improved conditioning he made an immediate and immense impact for Parramatta with his fearless charges and bone-rattling defence. His performances soon made him a crowd favourite but there was always something more that enhanced his appeal. Early on he seemed to enjoy perpetuating the idea that he could barely speak English and there was a real sense of mystery pervading Moimoi early in his career. After one early game where Fuifui played the house down, Brian Smith appeared at the post-match press conference and made a point of telling reporters that he didn’t have four names and could they please stop spelling it as “Fui Fui Moi Moi”.

One issue that dogged him early in his career were those run-ins with the judiciary. By the end of 2006 he had actually been suspended for more games than he had played for the club. But that aggressive playing style only served to further endear him to the Blue and Gold Army, who soon came to greet every trademark charge with the “Fuuuuuiiiiiiiii” call echoing around Parramatta Stadium.

And then there was the Fuifui Moimoi song, played on the Ray Hadley Morning Show which only served to propagate Fui’s growing popularity, which was now stretching beyond Parramatta and into the broader NRL fanbase.

By 2007, Moimoi had established himself as one of the best props in the game and he made his international debut for New Zealand at the end of that season. However, if one had to point to a period of time where Moimoi was really at the peak of his powers it was that incredible 2009 run to the Grand Final. While Jarryd Hayne was winning every award in Rugby League, much of the Eels success came from their second-phase football which itself stemmed off the back of the inroads Moimoi was making up front, tearing holes in the middle of opposition defences. Indeed, in that 2009 Grand Final Moimoi almost single-handedly succeeded in turning the game around, including that one memorable try where he was literally unstoppable.

I remember commenting on this site around that period that I thought Fuifui was the most influential player in the team. When he was missing, we invariably lost. Parramatta for so long relied so much on his go-forward and I believe he carried the Blue and Gold pack through most of his senior career at the club.

And as the club spiralled into the dark years characterised by underperformance and wooden spoons, there was invariably just one player who you knew would still stand-up, give 100 percent and put his stamp on the game. And that was Fuifui Moimoi. And over time we got to know the real Fuifui Moimoi (or perhaps Shane Shackleton’s representation of him) as he increasingly let his guard down in front of the cameras, as a lovable, loyal prankster who grew into a true role model for our great club.

It does appear that this may be the last season we see Fuifui Moimoi in Blue and Gold, but I’m sure I speak on  behalf of every Parramatta fan when I say thank you very much to Fuifui for his undeniable efforts and talent and congratulate him on reaching what back in those early days would have been an inconceivable milestone - 200 NRL games.

For me, Fuifui Moimoi will always epitomise the ultimate Parramatta warrior. He is the player I benchmark every young Eels prop against, which is probably unfair.

For there will only ever be one Fuifui Moimoi.