Sport
Olsen Filipaina rugby league’s Polynesian trailblazer – ABC News
When Olsen Filipaina signed with Balmain forty years ago he quickly became known as the Galloping Garbo, the working-class hero who thrilled crowds in between shifts as a garbage collector. But it wasn’t always easy.
Olsen Filipaina was a Polynesian trailblazer in Australian rugby league.
Key points:
- Olsen Filipaina was one of the first Polynesians signed to play in Australia’s premier rugby league competition
- During his career in Sydney he suffered racial abuse from spectators, players and even his own teammates
- Because of a promise to his mother he never retaliated to the taunts, but just tackled harder as payback
When he signed with Balmain forty years ago he quickly b…
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