Performance inspires young captain’s desire

The Cook Islands really punched above their weight as they put in a strong performance at the Oceania Football Association U-16 Men’s Championship in Tahiti.

With a permanent population of less than 20,000, the Cook Islands is the smallest member association of Oceania Football and is in Group A with Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand.

The experience of the tournament further inspired the team’s 15-year-old captain, Temata Rouru, to become a professional player one day.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Cook Islands have achieved extraordinary results with their abundant resources and talented players.

Cook’s side failed to draw with Fiji in their first match thanks to an injury-time goal, but they then beat Vanuatu in their second match and put in a strong performance against New Zealand in their final group match.

Cook lost 2-1 to Samoa in the fifth-place play-off on Thursday.

“The game against New Zealand was very tough but we stayed in the game, kept fighting and never backed down,” Lulu said.

As the core of the Cook Islands’ defense, Lulu feels he has learned a lot as opponents constantly put pressure on him.

“The New Zealand players attacked me and I had to deal with a lot of things, but it doesn’t matter, you can learn more from games like this and it will make us work harder.”

Lulu’s story is an interesting one. He started playing football at Matavera Football Club when he was around four years old.

But he was born into a rugby family and grew up playing both types of rugby.

“But last year I had to make a choice, so I stopped playing rugby and focused on soccer,” Lulu said.

What was mom and dad’s reaction?

“They approved of my decision. They were happy, they were proud of me, proud of me being the captain leading the kids out there.”

Lulu has been playing football in the Cook Islands, but he dreams of one day having the opportunity to play in a professional environment overseas.

But what he enjoys most is the power of football to bring people together.

“I just love the feeling of people coming together and the way they play inspires me. Watching my favourite player, Cristiano Ronaldo, play makes me want to play too.”

He also sees football as a way to inspire social change and tackle the obesity problem facing many Pacific countries.

“We have a lot of them in our country as you can see in the Cook Islands, but I just want our people to get up and do something. I’ve played two different sports and if I can inspire people to be active because sport and exercise is really important.”

Religion also plays an important role in Lulu’s life. Lulu is a member of the Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC), where his grandfather was a minister.

“Church is very important in our lives; we have to put God above everything else,” Lulu said.

However, as he wants to pursue football as a career, Lulu admits his church life may have to be put on hold for a while.

“Actually, I want to start my career in football first, to gain and develop my experience. Maybe when I’m around 38, I’ll go back to Kukes and want to become a priest.

“I need to train harder, work harder, improve my skills and keep moving forward.”

Rouru is honest when it comes to his weaknesses, he doesn’t lack speed, power or any technique.

“It is well known that I have a bad temper. When someone touches my teammates, I get angry, and this is where I need to improve. Discipline is very important. I need more discipline and self-control.”

Leading a team that experienced both heartbreak and ecstasy in Tahiti over the past two weeks helped Lulu gain control of her emotions.

“We played against Fiji and lost, which was frustrating for us. But our coach told us that we need to keep our heads up. We need to keep fighting. Yes, when we played against Vanuatu, we got the result we wanted and we are very happy and proud to lead our country to such a level.

“We just went back to the dressing room and sang a few songs, Cook Islands songs, and just enjoyed the moment.”

– OFC Media