Sonny Fai

Sonny Fai

180px
Personal information
Born	(1988-03-20)20 March 1988 Auckland, New Zealand
Died	Te Henga (Bethells Beach), Auckland, New Zealand
Playing information
Height	192 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	109 kg (17 st 2 lb)
Position	Second-row, Lock
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2008	New Zealand Warriors	15	5	0	0	20
Source: Rugby League Project

Sonny Fai (20 March 1988 – 4 January 2009) was a Samoan-New Zealand professional rugby league player who played for the New Zealand Warriors.

Early years

Fai played only one senior game for his junior club, the Mangere East Hawks, before being promoted to the Counties Manukau Jetz in the Bartercard Cup. A Warriors development player since 2003, he later played for the Auckland Lions in the 2007 NSWRL Premier League and the Junior Warriors in the 2008 Toyota Cup. Fai made ten appearances in the Toyota Cup, scoring five tries. Fai attended De La Salle College, Mangere East

Playing career

Fai made his NRL debut on 23 March 2008 against the Parramatta Eels at Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand. Fai was named the Warriors 2007 Under-20 Player of the Year. A powerful back rower who impressed for the Auckland Lions when he debuted in the NSWRL Premier League in 2007, scoring 14 tries in 21 games. He was named in the New Zealand and Samoan training squads for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

Representative career

Fai made representative teams from a young age, first making the New Zealand under-16s in 2003. Fai made the Junior Kiwis in 2004 and New Zealand 'A' in 2007.

Disappearance

Fai went missing at around 7 pm on 4 January 2009, after being caught in a rip current while trying to save his brother and four cousins when they got into difficulty at Te Henga (Bethells Beach), Auckland. Despite extensive searches his body was never found, and on 13 August 2009 Chief coroner Neil McLean announced in the Auckland District Court that he drowned.

Legacy

The New Zealand Warriors, in honour of Fai, kept his name on the playing roster for the 2009 season, in accordance with their team motto "Keeping the Faith". The Warriors wore black armbands for their opening NRL match of the 2009 season, as well as jerseys embroidered with Fai's signature and official team number in honour of him.

The Warriors dedicated their Round Five home match to Fai's memory. The match was played on the 5 April 2009 and the Warriors were defeated by the South Sydney Rabbitohs, 22–16.

External links

• New Zealand Warriors profile

• Sonny Fai, Sonny 2008 nzleague.co.nz
• Warriors join search for talented prospect, missing after being caught in rip Glenn Jackson | January 6, 2009
• Team-Mates and Club Officials help in search for Sonny Fai Warriors Official Site 5 January 2009