A New Zealand-born Tongan is making his Super Bowl debut, the pinnacle of the American Football season.
By Soana Aholelei of RNZ
Super Bowl LX sees the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots clash at the home of the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium.
The Seahawks' running back George Holani was born in Auckland and lived in Onehunga before his family migrated to the US. Speaking from Los Angeles, his father Saia Holani said life hasn't been easy for the family.
Saia said George was always helpful and focused as a kid.
"It's unexplainable for me, I sort of think about it and all the sacrifice that I've been through and you know, all the hardship and the struggle we've been through.
"And I looked at him and I'm really, really proud, because he was never, can't imagine for me to have a son to come and play here in this stage of football."
Saia said George has always been proud of his Tongan culture and planned to wear a traditional ta'ovala, along with a shirt of flags representing the US, Tonga and New Zealand, when he arrived at San Francisco's Levi's Stadium, a reminder of where he comes from.
The father of 11 planned to drive to San Francisco on Friday with the family ahead of game day. He said that he was very excited and for him it would be a chance in a lifetime to attend the Super Bowl and watch his son play.
George told NFL Australia & New Zealand he felt blessed to be playing in a Super Bowl.
"It's exciting to just be a part of this and to be able to come out and play and also having family back in New Zealand still... cheering me on and supporting me as well," George Holani said.
"My big brother's out there with my grandma, all my cousins and family is out there so its a blessing."
Asked if he had a message for NFL fans in Australia and New Zealand Holani said: "Anything is possible."
The Teams
RNZ Sport reported the New England Patriots finished the regular season with an impressive 14-3 record. This earned them first place in the AFC East and their first division title since 2019.
The Patriots defeated the LA Chargers 16-3 in the Wild Card Round, then the Houston Texans 28-16 in the Divisional Round. In the AFC Championship Game, they pulled out a hard-fought 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos.
That earned their first Super Bowl appearance since the Brady-Belichick era, an ominous sign to everyone that had consigned the perennial powerhouse franchise to history.
The Seattle Seahawks finished with a 14-3 record, good enough for top seed in the NFC and their best regular-season mark in franchise history.
They carried that momentum into the playoffs, securing their first playoff win since 2019 and advancing through to defeat the LA Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game.
The win marked their first Super Bowl appearance since the 2014 season and only the fourth in franchise history.
They will be desperate to make up for the last time they made it this far, when they lost in dramatic fashion to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
Watch the Super Bowl LX live on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
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