Samoa and the Panthers: Mt Druitt, a church and Penrith’s golden generation

Thirty years ago the opening of a church in Mount Druitt set in motion a chain of events, which over the next three decades would contribute to an influx of Samoan migration to the area, and help the Penrith Panthers unearth a crop of players who have made them the NRL’s dominant force.

Back then the Penrith side had no players of Polynesian descent and Tony Puletua, who six years later would make his first-grade debut for the club, recalls his family being among the few Samoans in the area at the time. When I first joined my junior club St Marys, there were literally two Samoan guys playing for the entire club, that was me and a friend of mine who played in the same team.“It’s the total opposite now. You have got Pacific Island kids through most of the teams at St Marys and dominating in numbers throughout clubs in the area.

As the church grew and contributed to a thriving Samoan community in Mount Druitt, more and more Samoan families began to move to the area from other parts of Sydney and further afield in New Zealand.

Tregear ...

Such a feel good story 👍🏼

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