The team dominated the Otago region, and while it only lasted for three years, a new exhibition at the Hocken Library is showing how it had a lasting impact on the city’s Samoan community.
Hocken Library senior collections assistant Ceri Austin-Hart said the club was formed by the late Lulu Lome with the support of his friend Gordon Hohaiha, and the team won the local league competition in its first season in 1964, with 18 wins in the 19 games played.
Their success qualified them for the Rothman’s tournament in Christchurch, where they played against Hornby in the final.
Samoana was leading 10-7 when officials abandoned the match with 10 minutes to go, because of an on-field scuffle which Samoana got the blame for, she said.
According to former team member Pita Taouma, it lead to "the biggest fight Addington Showgrounds had ever seen".
Samoana’s domination continued in the 1965 season when they won the local and South Island titles, she said.
"They came in and won everything.
"Newspaper headlines of the time frequently said the team was ‘undefeated’, ‘wins again’, and ‘convincing win’."
In 1966, the team grew to support an A and B team in the local competition and 10 of the players also played for the Otago rugby league team.
That year, Samoana was again crowned Otago Rugby League Champions.
However, the team disappeared off the scene in 1967, almost as quickly as they had appeared.
At the time, league was filled with "passionate" players and equally passionate supporters on the sidelines, she said.
The team withdrew from local competition following a series of on-field and off-field fights, but they were still awarded the Ellis and Joe Brown Cups for being the undefeated side.
The team never took the field again, but during their short time, they became a focal point for Dunedin’s growing Samoan community, she said.
Dunedin residents began to realise they had a Samoan community, which was flourishing as more and more families migrated, intertwined, married, supported and played for Samoana while studying at the University of Otago or working at some of Dunedin’s larger companies, like Cadbury’s and the Roslyn Mill.
Today, Samoans in Dunedin are leaders in business, the arts and academia and are respected members of the community.
She said the Hocken Library exhibition celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Samoana rugby league team in Dunedin.
It consisted of team photos, newspaper articles, diary entries and oral histories from players — all featuring Dunedin’s Samoana rugby league team.
Mr Lome’s daughter Elena Lome said she was not even born when her late father and three uncles were stars of the local club scene.
"It’s pretty amazing and awesome to see.
"It shows that time period before I was actually born, so it’s awesome to see what they actually did.
"Dad died in 2003, so it’s great to see his memory living on through this."
