'My heart is with Samoa': Why Mariner chose Toa over Kiwis

“It wasn’t Stacey, it was a call from Kearney.”

Samoa centre Deine Mariner is recounting the moment when - after missing out on New Zealand selection throughout his childhood in Auckland - he finally received the call from Kiwis team manager Stephen Kearney (not coach Stacey Jones) in recent weeks.

A call-up 21-year-old Mariner, with absolutely no hesitation, rejected.

“He pretty much said that if I was available…,” Mariner tells NRL.com in the build-up to Sunday’s opening Test against England at Brick Community Stadium in Wigan.

“They gave me an opportunity that I was really grateful for but for me, just representing my family and culture … it was pretty easy to decide where I wanted to play.

“I let him know that my heart was with Toa Samoa.

“I was really grateful that he respected my decision. There was obviously a lot of talent in New Zealand as well but, yeah … my heart was there so it was an easy decision.

“And I’m really happy with my decision and my family are really proud.

I never got selected by any of the Kiwi teams in the juniors but even if I had I still would have chosen Samoa.

“I never got selected by any of the Kiwi teams in the juniors but even if I had I still would have chosen Samoa.

"It’s always been a thing for me, representing my culture is No.1 for me.”

Only seven years ago it was seen as a paradigm-shift in the history of international rugby league - and even an outrage to some - when a group of players turned down tier one countries Australia and New Zealand and threw their lot in with Tonga at the World Cup.

The practice is now so common we simply shrug and wish our stars luck.

For the man who scored 22 tries in 27 games for Brisbane this year, the inspiration goes back way further than the 2017 World Cup - back to seeing the likes of Nigel Vagana and Tony Puletua, who are both members of the staff he sees every day on this tour, turn out for Toa Samoa.

Before 1986 there was no Samoan or Western Samoan national rugby league team, and it was another nine years before a team representing the Pacific group of islands played opposition from north of the equator.

But as someone born in 2003, these are just stories for Mariner who has had a team to which he can aspire for his entire lifetime.

“I was born and raised in New Zealand and Samoa’s my culture,” he explains. 

“It’s always big in my family. Growing up I’ve always played for Toa Samoa in the junior grades.

“Mum and dad are over in Australia now. So is my sister. The only people who are still in New Zealand are my grandparents.

“They’re super proud. Everyone thought I would have selected Kiwis at the end of the year.

“I knew they [Samoa] were coming over here for a Test series. It was something I had been hoping, that if my footy was good enough, I was going to get selected for the team.

“As soon as I got the call-up, it was the easiest decision ever to choose this team.”

Even at his young age, Mariner is aware that he is now providing the example for others that Vagana and Puletua once gifted him.

“A hundred percent, it’s just like a full cycle and there’s a reason why you’ve got people like Jarome (Luai) and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck that have pledged their allegiance to Samoa.

"All the juniors watching that, they can see that they can be proud to represent where they come from. It’s going good for the team.

“When I was a kid there was always a team but obviously, I’ve heard, before there probably wasn’t.

“But it’s been good, especially in recent years, seeing all the NRL boys put their hands up to put the blue jersey on and for me, that just inspired me, and I know it inspires a lot of other young kids coming up through the grades, that maybe one day they could represent their country.”

Having fallen one game short of the greatest sporting achievement in the history of their nation two years ago, Samoa’s rugby league boys have plenty of impetus to get back on the horse this Sunday as they build for the 2026 World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

They don’t talk about it, but you get the feeling these young men want to be part of sporting history and see it within their grasp.

“The boys that played in that World Cup, they said that this crowd, the fans here are very passionate about England," Mariner said.

"That’s one of the challenges we’ve just got to accept and something we’ve got to prepare for but, you know, it’s a good test for us. We’re all looking forward to it. For myself, it’s something new.”

At some point in the future, of course, the Kiwis might come calling again.

“I mean, for me personally I know where I want to be," he said. "Whatever happens after this year, whether the coach … that’s up to them. This is my first international selection.”