Watch Jake Duke go Face to Face with Warriors legend Manu Vatuvei on Fox League at 7:30pm AEDT on Tuesday!
Manu Vatuvei took one of the NRL’s greatest falls from grace and came out the other side.
From New Zealand’s greatest try scorer to serving 15 months in prison, Vatuvei said getting arrested is still one of the best things to ever happen to him.
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After an incredible 14-year career with the Warriors, Vatuvei’s life took an unexpected turn in March 2022 when he was arrested for importing 500g of methamphetamine and amphetamine from India.
Sentenced to three years and seven months, he ultimately served a third of his sentence, released on parole after 15 months in 2023.
Almost three years after his release, Vatuvei spoke exclusively to Fox League’s Jake Duke on Face-to-Face, which airs on Tuesday at 7.30pm, reflecting on his arrest and calling it one of the most important and best things to happen to him.
“To have that fall from grace was something that I kind of needed, that wake-up call to overcome a lot of demons inside of me and move forward with my life,” Vatuvei said.
“Going through everything that I went through and the changes that I have done now, I don’t think it would have happened if I did not go inside (prison).
“You are in the cells 24/7 by yourself, looking at the walls, thinking about a lot of things.
“It made me reflect on my life. It made me reflect on the trauma or whatever you call it, that I was going through, the depression, the hardest times.”
One of the toughest aspects of prison for Vatuvei was missing the birth of his son, who was born three days into his sentence.
Vatuvei said he didn’t know his partner had the baby until several days later, but the information quickly shifted his perspective.
“I didn’t know she had the baby until I think a week later when I got my first letter,” he said.
“That’s what changed my mind. I wanted to get out and I wanted to do well for my son and guide him the right way.”
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Seven years after the fact, Vatuvei reflected on seeing his house raided by police, with both himself and brother Lopini Mafi taken into custody, before their eventual arrest in 2022.
“It was a controlled delivery, so they intercepted a parcel and I think once we opened it, our house was already surrounded. They are busting the door down and we walked out with them,” he said.
“The hardest part was seeing my parents there and that is the one thing that I will regret my whole life and still to this day.
“They only told me once what happened and what they saw, and I think that was the end of it. I never asked again, it hurt a lot.”
His relationship with his family is one thing that has remained consistent throughout a roller-coaster life and career for Vatuvei.
Looking back, Vatuvei credited his family and football for keeping him on the “straight and narrow” growing up, grateful to his father for supporting him throughout his league journey.
“My dad was the number one person who always took me to training and made sure I was at training on time,” he said.
“My dad used to feed me a lot of pies. Pies for tries,” he added, laughing.
After receiving his first Warriors pay-check, Vatuvei famously took it to his family and told his father he did not need to work anymore as he would support the family.
“That’s what fuelled the fire for myself to go as hard as I can and try to make a living out of it and provide for them,” he said.
Vatuvei remains one of the greatest players to ever grace New Zealand, playing 226 games for the Warriors, as well as 28 Test games for the Kiwis.
The winger is the Warriors all-time top try scorer, scoring 152 tries across his 14 seasons.
He also holds the record for the most tries for the New Zealand Kiwis and was the first player in NRL history to score at least 10 tries in 10 consecutive seasons.
Vatuvei reflected on his career, believing a lot of his achievements get “lost in the wash”, given the controversies and challenges that surrounded him.
“I was more focused on all the negative stuff rather than all the stuff I have done well,” Vatuvei said.
Nicknamed ‘the beast’, Vatuvei looked up to All Blacks legend, Jonah Lomu, as a kid, embracing that ferocity throughout his career.
The Kiwi star was a part of the winning squads at the 2005 Tri Nations, the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, and the 2010 and 2014 Four Nations.
Vatuvei spoke fondly of his time with New Zealand across 28 Tests, but was especially honoured to represent his parents’ homeland, Tonga, in two Tests to cap his career.
“When I told my parents that I made the Kiwis they were really happy but when I told them about my going back to play for Tonga, I think they got really emotional,” he said.
“It meant a lot going back and playing for my heritage.”
Vatuvei became a legend of New Zealand rugby since his debut in 2004, however things took
a negative turn in 2016, when he, alongside five other Warriors players, were stood down from International duties for abusing prescription drugs during a night out.
Vatuvei and others admitted to taking a cocktail of sleeping pills and energy drinks.
“When that happened, I think we were playing poker and ended up going out. The club said they would keep it in house and when it came out in public, I felt betrayed,” he said.
“I think after the games were the hardest times because I can’t fall asleep, things will be running in my head about how the game went, and I can’t sleep. We were just taking it here and there.”
Following allegations and backlash, Vatuvei’s mental state hit a new low, revealing there was a time he considered giving it all up, crediting teammate Bodene Thompson for saving his life.
“Bodene found me and chased me down the road and ended up stopping at the motor way because of traffic and hopped out. He followed me to the spot that I went to and just sat with me the whole time,” he said.
“It changes everything. I see it as a blessing there, he did find me.”
Although a very disciplined league player, Vatuvei continued to struggle mentally, especially after playing his last NRL game in 2017, following a ruptured Achillies which ended his playing career.
After the conclusion of his league career, the New Zealander turned to boxing, although that too was cut short when he was diagnosed with a brain cyst after his first professional fight.
“I got a phone call from the doctor saying I shouldn’t be fighting but I didn’t care at that time. I was already going through some hard times,” he said.
“Just retiring and all that and I didn’t care what would happen to me.
“I didn’t want to tell my family about it because I wanted to keep on fighting.”
However, Vatuvei ultimately told his family and ended his boxing career as quickly as it had begun.
The abrupt ending to his sporting dreams left the star shaken, pushing him down a dark path towards substance abuse.
“Things weren’t working at home. Things weren’t working with me and my career and yeah, I just went on a rampage,” he added.
“(I was) trying to find a job and not knowing what was going to happen. A lot of things popping up in my head, I couldn’t handle it.
“I just went back to drinking and then the drugs came along.”
Although his path was dark, Vatuvei is now grateful he was caught and thankful for the 15 months he spent behind bars.
Vetuvei currently works at Brown Buttabean Motivation Program (BBM) for David Letele, who he met during his professional boxing debut in 2018.
This opportunity has allowed the NRL star to focus on healing others, running programs around health and wellbeing, allowing him to use his experiences to support others.
“Me opening up and sharing my stories just shows that there are a lot of people out there who need help and need people to share a little bit about themselves and that it is okay to open up and talk about it,” he said.
The 40-year-old is proud of where he ended up despite obstacles, as he now prioritises himself and family, looking ahead to the next chapter of his life.
Watch Jake Duke go Face to Face with Warriors legend Manu Vatuvei on Fox League at 7:30pm AEDT on Tuesday!
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