Segeyaro’s anguish The National, Monday 29th of September, - TopicsExpress



          

Segeyaro’s anguish The National, Monday 29th of September, 2014 Penrith’s James Segeyaro said heading into the National Rugby League preliminary final against Canterbury that the match would be dedicated to his late father Ifysoe’s memory. But the Bulldogs, at their gritty best, spoiled the Panther’s hope of a meaningful end to a great season with an 18-12 win at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday night. Segeyaro, had two names on his wrist straps for the game. Close friend Alex Elisala, who took his own life last year, was on one arm. The other carried the memory of his father, Iffy. Segeyaro’s trip to PNG to say goodbye and pay his respects earlier this month further impressed upon him just how highly his father was regarded in his homeland. “Dad was a massive part of my rugby league; he’s probably why I started playing the game,” Segeyaro said. “He was a five-eighth for PNG and played a couple of Tests for them, so he was a very respected man. He started schoolboys rugby league there and was really into his rugby league. “He wanted to see the country move forward with everything. Rugby league was part of that,” Segeyaro said. For the former North Queensland Cowboys rake losing a torrid finals match was gut-wrenching but the 23-year-old was a picture of control and coolness as he battled fellow hooker Michael Ennis and niggler Josh Reynolds on Saturday night “I drew inspiration from him, I just wanted to be like him. “When I was with him I could see how respected he was in PNG, so I just wanted to achieve that.” Segeyaro has bolted into contention for an Australian jersey after a breakout season for Penrith. But it was the opportunity to represent his native PNG, partly to make his father proud, that he describes as the “best experience I’ve had with rugby league”. He said he would treasure the life lessons from his father. Walking off the ground on Saturday night, the Panthers looked disappointed for each other but Segeyaro did not let the disappointment get him down. He smiled and shook hands and congratulated the winners. His father would have been proud.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 02:51:45 +0000

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