Coincidence rather than design was behind the plan that's resulted in the Parramatta Eels starting Monday's NRL match against the Wests Tigers with eight players of Polynesian descent and four Aborigines.
Unaware he would be creating some sort of social history when he named his side last week, Eels coach Brad Arthur's explanation was simple: they're the players best-equipped to halt the rampaging Wests Tigers.
The Eels finished the last two seasons with the wooden spoon, but their start to 2014 has seen the likes of Fuifui Moimoi, William Hopoate, Manu Ma'u (Tongan), Jarryd Hayne and Semi Radradra (Fijian) and Joseph Paulo (Samoan) combine with Willie Tonga, Chris Sandow and Nathan Peats (Indigenous) to click into an exciting and uncompromising unit.
However, it's undeniable they also represent the changing face of rugby league, a sport once dominated by players of Anglo-Celtic and Aboriginal stock before players whose families had migrated to Australia during the post-war years, the Italians, Lebanese, Maltese, Greeks and Poles, were lured to the sport.
Arthur was more interested in the fact that after years of toil and struggle, the Eels are showing skill and steel. "It's not about race and colour, I don't see that," he told Fairfax Media. "What'd interest people is we have a competitive team. I've never thought of it. We don't pick players based on colour. I really don't know what you want me to say? We've had that same team since round one, nothing has really changed."
But the team's make-up has been noticed. Sydney Roosters forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves admitted he couldn't help but observe the new-look Eels as they sprung a shock last-round victory over the defending premiers.
"Awesome, cool" Waerea-Hargreaves, who has Maori blood, said of Arthur's team. "I always look around to see how many 'cuzzies' and 'bros' are in the opposing team. I believe what Parramatta are doing is showing Polynesian and people from multicultural races that anyone can do it; it gives kids a belief when they see how many are playing for the Parramatta Eels, the Sydney Roosters ... half of the NRL competition has multicultural blood."
The change in the "face" of Parramatta's roster was definitely noted two years ago when then-coach Stephen Kearney, a Maori, had to contend with a spiteful whispering campaign about his recruitment policy. He had added indigenous stars Chris Sandow and Willie Tonga, Ben Roberts, who was of Samoan descent, and Hopoate (who would not be available until 2014 because of his religious obligations) to a roster that was already second only to the New Zealand Warriors in terms of its Polynesian population.
Kearney, who parted ways with Parramatta before that season finished, told Fairfax Media at the time he would not engage a group of faceless men in a divisive race conspiracy debate after the club's popular veteran winger Luke Burt was dropped for rising star Ken Sio. He identified the campaign as a sign he was under pressure as coach of a team that had struggled to win.
Joseph Paulo is one of the Eels' emerging stars. He's Auckland-born of Samoan heritage and last year he represented the USA Tomahawks in the World Cup. He took no offence when it was suggested Parramatta could pass as the NRL's answer to the All Blacks because of the aggression and skill the Polynesians and Aborigines brought to match day.
"I guess you are aware of it," he said of the team's look. "You're seeing more and more Islanders in not just our team, but the competition. I guess it's because of our body shape. Maybe the club didn't realise there were so many Islanders but it has worked. There's a lot of culture about it. Obviously the Islander culture is about family and [at Parramatta] we're a band of brothers. We enjoy each other’s company all the time."
Pacific Islanders have been a part of first grade football since 1923, when St George signed Brownie Paki after they watched him play for the 1922 New Zealand Maori team. Twenty years later the Dragons signed Walter Mussing, a winger, from the North Queensland canefield communities. In the 1960s the Toga brothers, Apisai and Inosi, from Fiji signed for St George.
By all accounts the early pioneers were embraced by the crowds and happy with their life as top graders. However, former Balmain player Olsen Filipaina, a Kiwi international of Samoan descent who played for the Tigers in the '80s, said his initiation to Australia was ugly, targeted by teammates, opponents and spectators on racial grounds.
Tim Mannah, whose family's background is Lebanese, is the only non-Polynesian or Aborigine in the Eels' starting line-up on Monday. He said he was proud the Eels represented the multicultural melting pot that is western Sydney.
"Parramatta's supporters are the same as any league fan, as long as you're doing your job as a player it doesn't matter if you're black, white or yellow, your culture or ethnicity doesn't matter," he said.
"The great thing about sport is people don't pigeon-hole you by your culture or your beliefs as long as you're doing your job. I've been involved with sport for a while and never sensed or heard a hint of racism. It's cool; because regardless of where you are from you get embraced. And if you love rugby league you have something in common with the person next to you, even if they come from a totally different culture."
Former New Zealand international Tyran Smith, a player-manager who has Ma'u and Hopoate on his books, said the new generation Eels had the opportunity to end a racial stereotype that'd angered him - about being undisciplined and cracking under pressure.
"I never liked that idea," he said. "It was never true. If you look at teams like Australia's national team in recent times there's a lot of players from indigenous and Polynesian backgrounds."
While Mannah said he learned a lot about the Pacific Islander culture as the only non-Polynesian in his age group at the Guildford Owls, Arthur said his approach to leading the Eels was to treat each player equally.
"We have reasonable depth and everyone knows they are going to have to train hard, work hard and play well to maintain their place," he said. "I go to work, I'm honest, no-one gets extra attention or any less attention - I treat everyone the same.
"We’re the same as every club. Players have their friends, hang with some more than others, but as a group they come together well. At the end of the day I treat them all with respect and everyone abides by the same principles."
Mannah agreed that the leadership at Parramatta was an ingredient in the glue that had built a rock solid footy side.
"I think you need to maintain leadership on one level to an extent, regardless of the cultural mix," he said. "But when you deal with people personally I definitely think you need to take into account the people, the culture they're from and their backgrounds.
"Growing up I played in a team that was like Parramatta, I was the only non-Polynesian. I grew up with a lot of Tongans, Samoans and Fijians and that has had an impact on me . . . knowing how they interact, knowing how they go about their business.
"We're a multicultural club and it represents the multicultural face of western Sydney. We have some great leadership who respect and try to understand why people do things. Having Jarryd [Hayne], who is half Australian and half Fijian is great - he works well with both because he is both."
