The omen for ending Parramatta’s 36-year wait for a premiership might come in the shape of a newly capped netball international who has never seen the Eels lose live in the flesh.
Elle Temu is the partner of Eels back-rower Isaiah Papali’i, who choked back tears while singing the national anthem last week after winning her maiden cap for New Zealand against Jamaica.
Border restrictions enforced by Covid-19 and the fact Temu, 22, has been pursuing her own career with the Northern Stars in the ANZ Premiership means they have spent little time together over the last two-and-a-half years.
But with the border with New Zealand softening over the last six months, Temu has developed into a good luck omen for the Eels.
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"I’ve been able to get to three games this year and they’ve won every time I’ve been to see him play," Temu told AAP.
"He put an Instagram post up last week and said I was his lucky charm."
Temu comes from good league stock.
Her grandfather Stan Martin coached the Cook Islands and the Kiwi Ferns and is now a prominent player agent, while her father Jason Temu played for Newcastle, the Warriors and in Super League.
"I’m not really critical or giving him feedback," she said.
"But I know when he’s tired because I can see it in his body language."
Over the last few months she has taken in wins over the Wests Tigers, Brisbane as well as last week’s preliminary-final victory over North Queensland.
With that in mind there’s little doubt where she will be come Sunday evening when the Eels take on Penrith.
"I’m definitely getting her to the game," Papali’i told AAP.
"She’s got her own commitments, she’s juggling that and then thinking ‘how can I get to the game?’
"We’ve won every time she’s been here, so fingers crossed she can hang around."
The fact that the pair have both taken different sporting journeys means since they started dating at school in Auckland six years ago they have barely been in the same place at the same time.
When Temu finally got a move from Wellington to the Northern Stars in Auckland, Papali’i was locked down in Australia with his old club the Warriors at the start of the pandemic.
His move to Parramatta when nobody else wanted him last season exacerbated that.
"I only saw her once last year (because of Covid-19)," Papali’i said.
"I can feel the difference away from the field now and can look forward to things a bit more knowing we won’t get stopped by Covid-19."
Regardless of whether Papali’i honours next year’s contract with the Wests Tigers, Temu is likely to remain in New Zealand in a bid to become a regular international.
"There have been a lot of hard conversations over the phone," she said.
"I think it just shows that we really love each other to pursue our own stuff, but now we are both where we want to be – it makes it all worth it.
"When we are 50 or 60 and hopefully with a couple of kids, we’re going to be grateful we did that."
AAP
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