Hostplus Cup stalwart Sheldon Pitama was just out for a walk on Saturday, February 4, when he received the call he had always dreamed of but still could not have predicted for his 2023.
“I was just at home and I had nothing to do so I went for a walk and halfway through my walk I got a call from the CEO at Redcliffe, Scott (Clark),” the Redcliffe Dolphins hooker said.
“He just said he got a phone call from the NRL and that they wanted to bring me into the Māori All Stars camp… I was like, ‘what?!’
“He said Ben (Gardiner) the coach was going to call me. So we hung up and I just wanted to wait to buzz out until I spoke to the coach. I did ring my parents in between to let them know about the call.
“It was a one-minute conversation to let them know what might happen. I felt like I had to tell someone so I rung my parents. I got off the phone to them and then a couple minutes later Ben called and said I could come into the camp.
“I was shocked because it was so out of the blue. I didn’t get any hints. There was no indication that would happen.
“I’ve always hoped to play at that highest level but I haven’t played a game of NRL … most of these boys have played NRL and upwards.
“Did I think I would be playing this? No, no, not at all. I’m glad I’m here and I’m fitting in fine. There’s not a part of me that doesn’t feel like I belong but at the same time it was a shock.”
Pitama, who has played more than 70 Cup games across six seasons, was in the 2023 Māori All Stars camp 12 hours after his phone call, returning to his birth country.
The 26-year-old was born in Christchurch and grew up in North Canterbury, before he moved to Melbourne as a 17-year-old in 2014 to be part of the Melbourne Storm’s under 20s system.
He moved back to New Zealand a year later to join the Warriors’ under 20s in Auckland, and played with them for two seasons before he returned to Australia and signed with Redcliffe – his “second home”.
Pitama has been with the Dolphins ever since but has never forgotten his roots.
And as he prepares to take on the Indigenous All Stars in Rotorua this Saturday, February 11 – one week after he received that career-changing call – Pitama knows this is his chance to represent those roots, his family, and his culture.
“My whole family, all my immediate family, are still in Christchurch,” Pitama said.
“My mum, dad and uncle are flying up … They’re going to be at the game.
“I feel like I’m not just representing me. I’m representing my family as well. That’s the main thing that stands out for me.
“When we do the haka and I take that first step on the field, I want to be representing my family as well.
“My mum and my sisters and my dad and my grandparents, they’re very proud to be Māori and live in accordance with that. My mum and my two sisters, they can speak Māori, they’re fluent.
“They live Māori. They went to Māori schools, my mum was a principal at a Māori school. They live and breathe it.
“I can understand Māori pretty well and I used to speak it a lot more at primary school but now I’m not around it enough. It’s nice to be back here listening to everyone talk Māori and to have a go at it again.
“It’s quite grounding. It feels very normal to be in a camp like this to me.
“It’s just nice to be home, back around your culture. It’s important to everyone. It’s always been important to me but in Australia, you’re not always around people that that’s important to.
“Now I’m around 20 players and 10 staff who this is all as relevant to them as it is to me.”
Pitama, who is rooming with St George Illawarra Dragons forward Zane Musgrove, said coach Gardiner told him to come into camp and to be himself – “be vocal … and make the most of it.”
He is also not the only Cup player in the line-up, with young Burleigh Bears back Creedence Toia also earning an unexpected call-up to the squad.
In the Indigenous men’s team, Cup trio Kierran Moseley (Norths Devils), Albert Kelly (Redcliffe Dolphins) and Bailey Butler (Central Queensland Capras) will also take to the field.
Pitama said the recognition of Cup talent is not only a major boost to all five players, but also gives them exposure to a new level of intensity.
“It is good that we’re getting a chance,” he said.
“A lot of NRL teams have pulled players out which has opened the door for us. As much as it would have been good to see those players play, it’s opened doors for us in Cup.
“That’s what our competition is there for, it’s a pathway to the NRL. Being here, it’s definitely a level up.
“You can feel the intensity is different, the speed and skill level is higher.
“I just told myself when I came into this camp that I want to be myself, play like myself and not change too much for me. It’s only a week-long camp and we only get three training sessions together.
“I want to play with plenty of passion and do the best I can for me, my family and my teammates. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself outside of that to do anything spectacular.
“And a win would be good. We’re all keen to walk away with the W.”
Indigenous coach, Ronald Griffiths, said the additions of Moseley and Butler in the All Stars side came about through conversations with his assistant coach and Queensland Maroons great, Matt Bowen.
He said both players give the Indigenous side a much-needed boost.
“I kept coming back to, ‘we need a genuine nine’, and I spoke to the assistant coach Matt Bowen and he said to me, ‘mate, you need a nine, someone who’s playing nine every day of the week,’ and I thought he was right,” Griffiths said.
“I was away in Queensland on holidays and was watching the Mackay Aboriginal All Blacks final on YouTube … my son put it on and I watched that game and I thought, ‘Kierran Moseley is playing in that game, I like Kierran.’
“Obviously he played NRL before and I know he played with the Devils last year so we did our homework and we landed on Kierran.
“With Bailey… we were a little light on in the middle and Matt tossed up Bailey and said he played last year (with the Capras) and he spent a summer with the Dolphins (NRL) and so we did some homework on him.
“We spoke with (Redcliffe) and they gave him a massive wrap and found out a bit more about his story and just thought that this is probably an opportunity where we can help him make a positive change and some good could really come of this for him and his family and that’s how we landed on Bailey.
“We have two ends of the spectrum in that we have Ryan (James) who is finishing who has done a lot of things in the game and we have Bailey who probably doesn’t understand how to be a professional.
“No doubt they will spend a fair bit of time together in camp and Ryan will certainly help him understand what it takes.”
