Latest news with #Latu
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
‘Humbled' to be recognised
Timaru. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES When leaving Tonga over 20 years ago, Siesina "Sina" Latu could never have imagined the life she would build in Timaru. After arriving with her young family in 2004 and "hardly seeing any brown faces", Mrs Latu has dedicated the last two decades to educating the South Canterbury community about Tonga and providing a platform for Pasifika people in the region. For her work she has been awarded an Honorary King's Service Medal for services to the Pacific community in this year's King's Birthday Honours. It was an unreal feeling to have received the honour, she said. "I was shocked. It's not something that you wake up in the morning and think, 'oh I'm going to get this medal this year or even in the next 10 years'. "You'd never think in a million years that you would get a big medal from someone, let alone from the King. I'm really honoured and humbled with this recognition." Mrs Latu was a founding member of the Tongan Society South Canterbury in 2016, and since 2020 has been general manager. She has also been a part of several groups and boards as an advocate for the Pasifika community. The driving force behind the work she had done was giving families the support she did not have when she first moved to Timaru. "I had to educate people about Tonga. "They knew that we were Pasifika but not that Pasifika has a lot of different ethnic groups or islands that have their own languages and cultures. "They looked at us and it was 'you're brown so you're Pasifika' and that was it." Things had come a long way since then and many Pasifika groups wow had their own societies in South Canterbury. "At the moment we are in the process of creating a Pasifika community leaders forum or collective because now that we each have groups we want to come together and ... work together and support our kainga as a whole." She loved being a part of the Timaru community and was pleased she had made the decision to move to the region. She wished to thank God, those who had nominated her, and those who played a big part in her journey to receiving it. "I dedicate this medal to my family. They are my biggest support system. "I want to acknowledge their support, resilience and patience in allowing me to do what I do. "I also want to acknowledge the Tongan society. "It's good that Pauline [Luyten], who is the co-founder with me, is also receiving an honour. "It is a big milestone for our Tongan society, for our Timaru Pasifika community and for Tongan women. "To everyone that has supported me all the way, thank you so much. It's always a collective effort, it was never about me alone. It was everyone's effort."
7NEWS
24-04-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Blindsided NRL coach Shane Flanagan blasts Finau Latu's camp after shock defection to Bulldogs
A frustrated Shane Flanagan has blasted the agent of highly rated St George Illawarra prospect Finau Latu as he became the latest coach to express concerns about the NRL's contracting circus. Lock Latu is poised to join Canterbury next season with Flanagan claiming the teenager's agent Michael Chebl handled talks with the club 'terribly'. Latu has yet to play NRL but has been named in the Dragons' extended squad that will face the Sydney Roosters in Friday's Anzac Day clash. 'I wanted to keep him and I'm not happy about the negotiation side of it,' Flanagan said. 'It's been handled poorly, terribly. 'Sometimes you lose them because you're not willing to pay a certain fee, or you don't want the player, but we wanted to keep him, and we're not happy. 'The way that it was handled by his management, was handled poorly, really poorly. 'We've brought that young bloke up the last three or four years and we wanted to keep him and never got an opportunity to.' The Dragons said they made a strong offer for Latu, but no counter proposal was put forward by the player's camp despite assurances the club would be given a right of reply. But the youngster's decision to walk away and join the Bulldogs has left a bitter taste in Flanagan's mouth. The Dragons coach pointed to other examples of player movement through the early part of the season where clubs have been left feeling blindsided. 'I've got some good relationships with agents, and they're all got their pros and cons,' Flanagan said. 'As I said, the handling of this one was poor. 'I've read Ricky (Stuart) is not happy to with what's going on with (Manly's pursuit of) Jamal Fogarty, we've got the Lachlan Galvin situation. 'It's too big a problem for me to solve, but I'm not happy about it.'
Perth Now
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Flanagan hammers agent as Dragons lose teen star
A frustrated Shane Flanagan has blasted the agent of highly-rated St George Illawarra prospect Finau Latu as he became the latest coach to express concerns about the NRL's contracting circus. Lock Latu is poised to join Canterbury next season with Flanagan claiming the teenager's agent, Michael Chebl, handled talks with the club "terribly". Latu has yet to play NRL but has been named in the Dragons' extended squad that will face the Sydney Roosters in Friday's Anzac Day clash. "I wanted to keep him and I'm not happy about the negotiation side of it," Flanagan said. "It's been handled poorly, terribly. "Sometimes you lose them because you're not willing to pay a certain fee, or you don't want the player, but we wanted to keep him, and we're not happy. "The way that it was handled by his management, was handled poorly, really poorly. "We've brought that young bloke up the last three or four years and we wanted to keep him and never got an opportunity to." The Dragons said they made a strong offer for Latu, but no counter proposal was put forward by the player's camp despite assurances the club would be given a right of reply. But the youngster's decision to walk away and join the Bulldogs has left a bitter taste in Flanagan's mouth. The Dragons coach pointed to other examples of player movement through the early part of the season where clubs have been left feeling blindsided. "I've got some good relationships with agents, and they're all got their pros and cons," Flanagan said. "As I said, the handling of this one was poor. "I've read Ricky (Stuart) is not happy to with what's going on with (Manly's pursuit of) Jamal Fogarty, we've got the Lachlan Galvin situation. "It's too big a problem for me to solve, but I'm not happy about it."
USA Today
22-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
WATCH: Colts DE Laiatu Latu going through offseason pass rush drills
Watch as Indianapolis Colts' defensive end Laiatu Latu goes through some offseason pass rush drills in preparation for his second NFL season. Easy mover • @laiatu_latu NFL off-season Sac State edition — Coach Ed (@DlineCoachEd) February 14, 2025 Latu was the 15th overall pick in last year's draft by the Colts and the first defender taken off the board. He finished his rookie year with 38 pressures, according to PFF, which was the second-most on the Colts' defense, and he totaled four sacks. We also saw Latu improve as a run defender as the season progressed. When it comes to being a productive pass rusher, consistently winning your one-on-ones is crucial. Although Latu's numbers on the surface won't leap off the page, he did rank 27th out of all defensive ends last season in pass rush win rate, which can be a good indicator of long-term success. Oftentimes in a player's second NFL season we seem them make the biggest jump. For one, they have a full offseason to work on their craft rather than going through the pre-draft process. In addition to that, there is growth that often occurs from the just the added comfort that comes with having a season under your belt and knowing how to go about your days and adjusting to the play speed. A Year 2 leap for Latu will be important for the Colts' defensive front, especially if Dayo Odeyingbo signs elsewhere in free agency. As the Colts leading pressure getter last season, that's a lot of production that will have to be replaced. Among the topics covered during new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's introductory press conference last month was Latu, who Anarumo said he was a big fan of coming out of the draft. Anarumo has spent the last several seasons working with Cincinnati pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
USA Today
11-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Colts still select DE Laiatu Latu in 2024 NFL redraft
With hindsight being 20/20, who would the Indianapolis Colts end up with in a redraft of the 2024 NFL draft class? Ali Bhanpuri and Tom Blair of set out to redraft the entire first round, knowing what we know now after seeing how the 2024 season unfolded. For the Colts at 15th overall, they would still end up selecting defensive end Laiatu Latu in this scenario. 'Colts don't have any options here who would obviously improve their fortunes. Laiatu Latu did not live up to preseason Defensive Rookie of the Year hype, but he did still provide Indy with desperately needed pass-rush help.' Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse went eighth overall to Atlanta, while cornerback Quinyon Mitchell wasn't on the board either after being taken at 11th by Cincinnati. In this redraft, the Colts could have went with defensive end Chop Robinson, but Blair and Bhanpuri stuck with Latu instead, noting continuity and the Colts sticking with the player they know. Given the Colts issues in the secondary, Nate Wiggins and Cooper DeJean could have been options in a redraft as well. Latu would tally 38 pressures last season, the second-most on the Colts, along with four sacks, which was the third-most, according to PFF. Although the production was, at times, up and down, the pass rush consistency was often there. Latue would rank 29th among all defensive ends in pass rush win rate. In terms of long-term viability, that's a very good sign. We also saw Latu's run defense improve as the season progressed as well. Compared to the rest of the 2024 rookie class, Latu was third in pressures, trailing Verse and Robinson. He was second in run-stops and second in run defense grade.
