Rugby league stalwart and JPPMG ambassador Petero Civoniceva says playing masters games is a great way to stay engaged in your sport no matter your age.
Wednesday 26 October
By Jasmine Rolfe
Legendary Queensland rugby league radio commentator in the 1950s and 60s, George ‘Mr Football’ Lovejoy, would sign off from his broadcast by reminding his passionate listeners that “rugby league football is the greatest game of all.”
Fifty years later, the spirit in which Lovejoy coined his famous expression lives on at the Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games (JPPMG), where rugby league is one of 43 sports part of the ten day sporting celebration on the Gold Coast spanning 5 to 13 November.
The event promises to be action packed and full of friendly but fierce competition as players go head to head, letting their old competitive instincts shine through.
Rugby league stalwart and JPPMG ambassador Petero Civoniceva says playing masters games is a great way to stay engaged in your sport no matter your age; he just hopes that other participants ‘go easy on him’.
“It was just so much fun (in 2014). I just had such a ball meeting the competitors and hearing their stories and where they’re from and how passionate they are about their sport,” he said.
“It was just awesome to be a part of that and to witness it.”
Another rugby league player eager to reignite the competitive flame with his teammates at the JPPMG is Joshua Stowers of the Mangere East Hawks, whose team is planning a reunion on the Gold Coast in November.
“We’re a competitive team, the Brisbane guys and the Gold Coast guys have been training the last couple of weeks which has been good,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of boys that are coming from NZ, some coming from Sydney too, so we’re just going to get together a few days before and have some training.”
And when asked what he is most looking forward to about the JPPMG, Josh says he is mostly looking forward to catching up with old mates.
“I’m just looking forward to just catching up with a lot of boys that I used to play with when I was younger and haven’t seen for nearly 20 years!” he said.
“At the end of the day we all want to have fun but we still want to be able to compete and play like we used to when we were 10 years younger!”
One of Josh’s teammates, Hone Waipouri, is also looking forward to the camaraderie for which the JPPMG is known, as well as playing with some of the ambassadors making an appearance at the event.
“We just wanted to be part of a huge sporting competition, it’s a great event,” he said.
“What I’m looking forward to at the Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games is playing against some all-stars like Petero Civoniceva.
“And just to be able to say ‘yeah I’ve tackled them’.”
Warwick Cowboys Old Boys player Arnold Alldridge is returning for his second masters games after winning bronze in 2014 and says his team is ready for redemption.
“The bronze medal match against Redcliffe was a really tough game, we don’t like losing but we played it in good spirit,” he said.
“It’s just good to get together all us old boys – to have a bit of a reunion and have a good time and play a bit of footy along the way.”
The 10th biennial Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games will be held 5 – 13 November 2016 on the beautiful Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
The world’s biggest and best biennial masters games will showcase competition in 43 sports and attract 13,000 participants from Queensland, interstate and overseas.
The new scheme was born here and filagra this is not anything that we would like to see. Caverta although better in some elements but not significant for us.
